A Promise Fulfilled (Rewrite)
by LegendaryWrighter
Summary: Eight years after the war, Harry is doing well in his career. However, his love life is non-existent because his heart still longs for Cedric. When the pain becomes unbearable one day, for the first time ever, he does something for himself. Sequel to So I Swear. Slash. AU. Rated M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

**AN: If you didn't read the description, you won't know this is the sequel to my Harric (or Hedric, whichever you prefer) fic, So I Swear. While you don't need to read the prequel, it will give background to my OMC who is paired with Draco. If you do go to read the prequel, I must admit that the first 15-17 chapters might be difficult to read because I hadn't started seperating lines of dialogue yet. I will be doing that and updating the existing chapters soon.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

It was a busy time in the Ministry; Great Britain was hosting the 433rd Quidditch World Cup Final, and since the last time had ended in catastrophe, the Minister was doing anything and everything he could to ensure nothing went wrong this time. Harry was terrified at thinking how he and the rest of the aurors will be under the Minister's watchful eye for the next two months.

"So you finally decided to join us" He heard someone say when he entered his office, and found Ron.

"Afternoon to you, too" Harry said as he set down his stuff.

"We missed you at the meeting this morning" Ron said.

"I know, but these are just getting tedious." Harry sighed. "I mean, he expects me at every meeting concerning security. The meeting on the security of house-elves preparing the fest after the match took nearly twenty minutes, and Michaels will be in charge of that."

"I get it and to be fair, that meeting only went that long cause of Hermione" Ron stated with a chuckle.

"Wotcher, Harry, Ron" Tonks said, and the two males turned towards her portrait. "How's Teddy doing?"

"He's doing well, as always" Harry replied. "Oh, and you can tell Sirius and Remus that he's keeping the Marauder traditions alive."

"I'm sure Sirius will be glad to hear it. Remus is undecided, since he knows how the teachers feel after dealing with Fred and George during your third year" Tonks said smiling. "By the way, the Minister is summoning you."

"A summons, eh. He's sounding less like a minister or more like a Dark Lord" Ron said.

"I'm pretty sure he'd use any and every magic possible to avoid anything going wrong for the next few months" Harry said, before turning to Tonks. "Thanks, I'll be up in five minutes."

"So the Minister wants to send a group of us to discuss the security measures with the aurors from the American ministry" Ron said.

"They don't have a ministry, Ron. It's a congress" Harry said. "They're very adamant about the fact that all magical folk are represented in their government."

"Yeah, well the Head of Magical Law Enforcement is sending 'Mione since more and more work's just being piled on" Ron stated. "I'm sure the Minister would want you to go to make sure everything is taken care of properly."

"Ron, do you want to go with Hermione?" Harry asked with a knowing smile.

"What I want doesn't matter" Ron said, blushing slightly. "What matters is if this conflicts with the Minister's grand plan."

"You guys should go together" Harry said. "'Mione will be there to make sure everything is done and done well, and you guys should also take a few days off just to relax."

"Do you think we should?" Ron asked, and Harry nodded. "Would the Minister even approve this?"

"I'll try to convince him when I go up there" Harry assured his friend. "Besides, I can't think of two other people who has worked as hard as you guys have over the last five years."

"Thanks mate" Ron said, giving Harry a hug. "Now you better get up there, before he decides to channel his inner-Snape."

"He doesn't need to" Harry said as he headed for the door. "Joseph has Snape's portrait in his office."

"We missed you in the meeting this morning" Joseph stated as he led Harry into his office.

"Ron told me" Harry said. "But do I really have to be at every meeting?"

"I'm sorry, I thought it was the job of the Head Auror to oversee the security of major events like these" Joseph stated as he rolled his eyes before sighing. "Sorry. I just need this to go well."

"Why? Joseph, you've been Minister for three years, succeeding Kingsley, held elections every year and won" Harry pointed out. "I don't see any reason for you to worry."

"That's just the local aspect. The whole world will have its eyes on us" Joseph said. "We haven't hosted the World Cup Final since the disastrous end to the 422nd. Ever since then, even when the English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh teams played in the finals, the other country was the host."

"Well, since then, the Fudge's focus was on denouncing me and Dumbledore, Scrimgeour was basically all bark and no bite when it came to fighting Voldemort, Voldemort used Thicknesse and turned Wizarding Britain into a police state, and Kingsley was focused on reforming the Ministry, restoring peace and order in society, and catching escaped Death Eaters" Harry pointed out.

"I know, and Kingsley has done remarkably well" Joseph said. "No one could've done a better job. It's a shame he decided to retire."

"You're just saying that because of all the stress you're under" Harry said with a smile.

"If I couldn't handle the stress, I would've stopped after two years" Joseph returned with a smirk. "Now Harry, I didn't just call you in here because of this morning. You've been arriving to work late a lot more lately."

"Where's Professor Snape?" Harry asked, looking at the portrait that had a tall, black lounge chair that was surrounded by even taller bookshelves that held, probably, more than a hundred books.

"Other than here and Hogwarts, he has portraits in Draco's office and study" Joseph said. "And stop changing the topic. I know you've been visiting Cedric's grave."

"Is there something wrong with that?" Harry returned.

"No, but you've been visiting so much that the habit is bordering an obsession, and it's unhealthy" Joseph said as he sat next to the shorter raven, giving a concerned look. "Harry, it's been eleven years. Cedric would want you to move on and be happy."

"Look who's talking, the guy who broke up with Draco Malfoy five years ago" Harry spat back angrily, and immediately regretting it when the concerned look on his friend's face turned into the blank expression he had gotten used to as a teen.

Joseph moved towards his liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey. He hesitated a few seconds after filling his glass before filling another one. He handed one to Harry as he sat on his seat, and the two drank in silence for the next couple minutes

"I'm sorry" Harry apologised, to which Joseph replied with a nod. "I just read that Astoria gave birth."

"She did. They named him Scorpius Hyperion." Joseph said in a happy tone, but the emotion didn't show in his expression. "They asked me to be the godfather."

"I'm sorry" Harry said as he took Joseph's hand and squeezed it.

"It's alright" Joseph said as he squeezed Harry's hand back. "I expected this, even back then. This is the reason why Draco married Astoria in the first place."

"I'm sorry again for what I said earlier" Harry apologised again. "It's been really hard today."

"I know. It's Cedric's birthday" Joseph sighed. "I would've given you the day off if things weren't so busy."

"I'm actually surprised I decided to come in to work today" Harry said.

"Hey, why don't we both clock out early today and visit Ced's grave together?" Joseph suggested. "We can just talk, like old times."

"I'd like that" Harry said, smiling softly before giving the taller raven a hug. "Thank you and I'm sorry again for what I said."

"Stop apologising. I said it's fine" Joseph said as he hugged back. "Now, you better get some work done before we leave."

Harry nodded and thanked his friend again before he left.

* * *

 **AN: I know it's short and that it doesn't give much information, but readers of the prequel know that I like to keep my secrets. Don't worry, i have the next few chapters planned out already, and will update as soon as I can.**

 **Please leave a review with your thoughts, what do you think happened, what should happen, what other pairings should be in the story, any questions you have, but I would prefer if you would just message me with questions instead.**

 **Also, I'm looking for betas for this story who, while helping improve this story, get to see the new chapters first.**

 **That's all for now. Thank you everybody for reading, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter in the continuation of Harric.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Harry walked up the hill where Cedric's grave was, and found Cedric's parents there. Taking in a deep breath, he walked up and stood next to them. They all stood in silence for a while before Amos transfigured some rocks into chairs.

"How have you two been?" Harry asked as they sat.

"We've been well" Andrea replied. "We just returned from America."

"Can you believe they don't call non-magical folk muggles?" Amos asked. "They call them No-Majs, because they can do no magic."

"And how are you Harry?" Andrea asked.

"I've been well" Harry replied. "A little stressed because the Minister's obsessed with everything going well for the upcoming World Cup Final."

The Diggorys faces fell, and it took Harry a few minutes to remember 422nd World Cup Final, the night that it all started.

"I'm sorry" Harry apologised.

"It's alright, Harry. You're not at fault" Andrea assured him

"And stop blaming yourself" Amos said, cutting off Harry's next sentence. "If anyone should take the blame, it should be me. I'm the one who pressured Ced into putting his name forward."

 _But you could've stopped had said multiple times that if you didn't want him to enter the tournament, he wouldn't have._

"You're not to blame either, Mr. Diggory" Harry said. "The one to blame is Voldemort."

 _Are you sure? Cedric told you to take the cup, but you didn't. You even insisted that you two should take the cup together. If it hadn't been for you, Cedric would still be alive_.

'We don't know that' Harry thought angrily.

Harry looked up to see that he was no longer sitting with Cedric's parents near his grave. He was now standing next to Cho in the Room of Requirement, looking up at Cedric's photo.

"He was my first friend" Cho said sadly. "I was terrified of getting on the train because it meant leaving behind my home and people who knew me for an unknown place filled with people who didn't know me. Cedric approached me, calmed me down, and even helped me find a compartment with some other first years who became my friends."

"I know" Harry said with a small smile. "He kept saying that he couldn't believe that the terrified, shy first year turned out to be a huge pain in the arse."

"As if he wasn't, but I'm sure it was a good kind of pain in the arse for you, Harry" Cho said with a wink and chuckled, before looking back at Cedric's picture and sighing. "I miss him."

 _You took him from his friends and family because you did not do enough to save him._

'I did not' Harry thought. 'Voldemort did.'

 _You did not stop him from entering the tournament, you did not listen when he told you to take the cup, you insisted on taking the cup together, and you were not able to defend him. Voldemort may have told Wormtail to kill Cedric, but you were the reason he was there in the first place. You might as well have murdered him yourself._

The scene shifted again and Harry was back in the graveyard in Little Hangleton but rather than being with Cedric, Harry was at the side, watching as Cedric walked through the graveyard. Harry wanted to scream, to tell Cedric to get back to the portkey. The door to the crypt opened and Harry's eyes widened. It wasn't Wormtail who exited, it was him. Younger Harry moved towards Cedric with his wand raised. Harry thought to move forward but before he could take one step, he was blinded by a flash of green.

* * *

Harry woke with a jolt, sweating and breathing heavily. He looked around, making sure he was in his bed in Grimmauld Place, before trying to calm down. He sighed as he lay back down and turned to see the photo album filled with pictures of him and Cedric lying open next to him. Putting on a robe, Harry picked up the photo album and headed for the kitchen.

"Why is Master Harry being awake at one in the morning?" Kreacher inquired when he appeared.

"I woke up from a nightmare, Kreacher" Harry replied, sitting at the head of the table.

"Would Master Harry like Kreacher to get sir a glass of water, or make sir a cup of tea?" The house-elf inquired.

Kreacher had become extremely taken to Harry after he gave him Regulus's locket, even more so after Harry allowed him to keep any Black heirlooms that wasn't cursed or that belonged to Sirius in the shed in the back. Kreacher was very helpful, nor did he call Hermione a mudblood or the Weasleys blood traitors, and he was invaluable during the renovations, but Harry wished he didn't check on him all the time. This was one of those times that Harry just wanted to be alone.

"A glass of firewhisky, please" Harry said, thanking Kreacher when he was handed a glass filled with the amber liquid. "You can go to bed now Kreacher. I won't need anything else."

Kreacher disappeared with a pop, and Harry took a sip of his drink before opening the photo album and going through it. Harry smiled as he saw pictures of him, Cedric, and their friends, reliving each memory in his head. Harry suddenly remembered the voice in his dream.

"What if it was my fault?" Harry asked himself.

His eyes then landed on the picture of him and Cedric standing side by side on the day of the wand weighing, and Harry's heart ached.

"I'm sorry" Harry whispered, tears starting fall from his eyes. "If only I could go back, do anything else different..."

Harry suddenly remembered something he and Joseph talked about recently. He had told Harry that the Unspeakables working on studying time had created a contraption in the Department of Mysteries that could send a person back to any place and time dating back about fifteen years ago. Harry stared at the picture of him and Cedric for a few seconds before heading to his room. He got dressed, grabbed his invisibility cloak, and headed down.

"Master is leaving at this hour?" Kreacher asked as he appeared just as Harry was about to open the door.

"I'm just going for a walk Kreacher" Harry said. "I'll be back soon."

With that, Harry left and walked to the closest alleyway before apparating to the atrium at the ministry.

* * *

Joseph walked through the beautiful gardens at the Malfoy estate. Lady Narcissa had worked tirelessly to bring it back to life after the manor was renovated, all the hard work paid off. The garden was full of life and colour, filled with intoxicating aromas of the flowers in bloom.

"Can we go back in now?" Draco asked.

"You know, you don't have to be with me everywhere I go" Joseph stated.

"I don't, but I asked you over for a reason" Draco replied. "And I'd much rather have this conversation in my room."

"Why can't we have the conversation out here?" Joseph asked. "If you're worried about privacy, your mother and father are out, remember?"

Joseph turned to see that Draco had a frown on his face. He then bit his lip, and Joseph knew that what the blonde wanted to talk about was unpleasant.

"Why did you ask me to visit Draco?" Joseph asked as they sat on one of the benches.

"I wanted to talk about..." Draco began nervously as he looked down at his lap. "I wanted to talk about my engagement to Astoria."

"I see" Joseph said slowly. "Is there a problem? Is the Greengrass family refusing to annul the agreement, because I can have mother take care of this immediately."

"No, it's not that they don't want to annul the agreement" Draco said before taking in a deep breath. "I'm going to marry Astoria."

"What?" Joseph said, his anger rising quickly.

"Please don't get angry" Draco pleaded.

"I have been with you for the last five years, and you don't expect me to get angry when you tell me you're going to marry a woman you don't even like?" Joseoh asked exasperated. "Give me on good reason why you're doing this Draco."

"My father..." Draco began but was cut off.

"Your father again?!" Joseph exclaimed. "Draco, you're an adult you can make your own decisions. Unless your father has you under the Imperius curse or is threatening to do something terrible, then he is not the one to blame here. It's not enough that you tell me this after five years, but you don't even have the bollocks to claim responsibility for your own actions."

A ringing silence followed. Nothing but the two Slytherins' breathing could be heard. Joseph stared at Draco angrily, while the blonde merely looked down.

"Fine" Joseph finally said after a few minutes. "Live the life your father has designed for you, Draco. Just don't expect me to be a part of it."

* * *

Joseph woke up and sat up with a groan, rubbing his face. He really needed to stop forgetting to takeDreamless Sleep every two days.

"You were mumbling in your sleep" the blonde next to him said. "You only do that when you have nightmares."

"You're not going soft on me, are you Goldstein?" Joseph asked, and Anthony turned to hide his blush.

"Just saying if you're going to stay after, you should have the courtesy not to wake me up" Anthony returned.

"And I've said that if you don't want me staying the night, you should wake me up half an hour after" Joseph said as he got up and began dressing. "Do I need to put every detail of our arrangement in writing?"

"Prat" Anthony muttered as he got up. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Most likely, I'll owl you at lunch" Joseph said.

Anthony went into the bathroom while Joseph let himself out of Anthony's house, only to find his new bodyguard waiting for him.

"Of all the aurors Harry had to assign" Joseph began. "He got the one that knew how to find me. Didn't he, Blaise?"

"Well, the reason why the last two were reassigned was because they couldn't find you" Blaise returned as he and Joseph began walking towards the apparition point. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since I found out we were hosting the final" Joseph replied.

"And is it serious?" Blaise asked.

"No, but Goldstein thinks it is" Joseph stated. "Even when we were both clear about what this was in the beginning."

"You can't blame him for thinking it's developed into something more" Blaise said. "It's been five weeks since you started. How many times do you 'visit?'"

"Depends on how stressed I am by noon everyday" Joseph said. "But at least four times a week."

"Well, why don't you try developing your arrangement into an actual relationship?" Blaise suggested.

"I'm not in the mood to be lectured on this" Joseph said. "Especially by the guy who tried to sleep with the entire Hogwarts student body."

The taller Slytherin was about to retort when there was a ringing sound. Joseph brought out a pocket watch, his eyes widening when he opened it.

"Someone's broken into my office" He said.

The two of them rushed to the apparition point and once they arrived, Joseph grabbed Blaise's wrist and apparated them into his office. They immediately inspected the place, finding that other than the door being opened, nothing was out of place.

"The door wasn't forced open" Blaise stated. "Whoever broke in knew how to undo all the locking charms we cast."

"It doesn't look like anything is missing" Joseph said as he went through his desk. "Call Harry and get him here."

As Blaise firecalled Grimmauld place, Joseph noticed that one of the panels on the wall didn't look right. He rushed over and opened the door to his personal store of potions, going through them quickly.

"Potter's not at home" Blaise said when Joseph emerged from the secret room.

"What?" He asked, approaching the fireplace. "Kreacher, why did Harry leave at this time hour?"

"The master had woken up from a nightmare, sir" Kreacher replied. "Said he was just going out for a walk."

"Was Harry doing anything before he went for his walk?" Joseph asked.

"He asked Kreacher for a glass of firewhisky, sir" Kreacher replied. "Master was also going through old photos of himself and his old mate."

"Ginny Weasley?" Blaise asked. "And was anything taken from your storage?"

"Ginny was an attempt to get over his old mate. And two potions were taken; Felix Felicis and Polyjuice" Joseph stated before realisation struck him. "Get every other auror in the building and head for the Department of Mysteries."

Before Blaise could say anything, Joseph rushed out and headed for the lift, hoping that he'd be able to stop Harry before the shorter raven did anything rash.

* * *

Harry walked through the halls of the Department of Mysteries, keeping his focus on his goal, trying not to remember what had happened in his fifth year. He had, luckily, not run into any unspeakables, which was probably due to the Felix Felicis he took before entering the department. Unlike the aurors assigned to guard the entrances to the different divisions of the department, the unspeakables would not yield so easily to Harry's authority, since the Department of Mysteries was answerable only to the Minister. It wasn't long before he approached the Time Room, and the two aurors guarding it.

"Head Auror" the two of them greeted in unison.

"Gentlemen" Harry greeted them back with a nod. "Has anyone come here in the last half an hour?"

"No sir" The blonde one replied. "All the Unspeakables assigned to this room entered at eight in the evening, and hasn't been out since."

"Well, the minister wants us all on high alert" Harry stated. "Someone broke into his office and stole a bottle of Polyjuice potion. Speaking of which, hand over your badges. Nothing against you boys, but it's protocol."

The aurors nodded and handed their badges. Harry casted a spell to check if they were authentic, a spell only the Head Auror, Minisiter, and Head of the Department of Magical Law enforcement knew.

"Apologies, can't be too safe" Harry said once he was done, discreetly switching the blonde one's badge for his own. "How long have you two been standing here?"

"Since seven, sir" The brunette auror replied.

"Well, it's been over six hours" Harry said. "Why don't you two go take a quick break?"

"I don't think we should sir" The blonde auror said. "Someone broke into the minister's office. What if they try to get in here next?"

"I doubt that'll happen. They broke into the minister's office, they should know that the entire building will be crawling with aurors soon" Harry explained. "Even if they do, I'll be in there, discussing the security protocols with the Unspeakables."

The two aurors looked unsurely at each other.

"And don't worry about getting into trouble" Harry said. "I'll take the heat if you do."

"Really?" The brunette one asked. "Well, I am a bit peckish."

"Go, and take a break" Harry said as he patted the blonde one on the back. "You two will be more alert when you get back, and we need you at your best right now."

The two aurors nodded and left, thanking Harry before they did. Harry sighed, taking out a small vial and placed the blonde strands of hair he got into it. He then entered the Time Room and headed towards the end. On his way there, Harry spotted several time turners like the one Hermione used in their third year. He was able to save Sirius then, he thought bitterly.

Harry arrived at the end and opened the door into a huge circular room with a circular, stone platform with runes carved on its edge on the end opposite of him. Two, giant hourglasses stood at either of its side, one with the sand flowing down, the other with the sand flowing up. Harry approached what looked like the control panel, judging from what Joseph had said; a metal part of the wall with three pairs of buttons and dials, which would be used to input the day, month, and year. Below that was a clock, to input the time, and on the far end, after the last pair of dials and buttons was a globe with what looked to be the keys of a typewriter in front of it

Harry took in a deep breath and started on the dial for the day. As soon as he turned it to one, a glowing number "1" appeared above the dial. He pressed the button next to the dial and the glowing number became solid, as if it had been etched into the metal. Harry moved to the next dial, and inputted "09," then moved to the last pair of dials and buttons, and inputted the year "1995". Harry moved to the globe with the typewriter keys. He pressed the "H" key, the letter appeared in front of the raven, and several spots on the globe lit up. Every place that started with the letter "H" was being shown and the lights reduced every time Harry added another letter. Harry continued typing until only one place was lit on the globe, and the name "Hogsmeade" appeared was glowing in front of him. He then moved to the clock moved the hands until the time read "7:30" and then Harry pressed the button with the symbol of the moon.

'That'll give me enough time to get from Hogsmeade to the Astronomy tower before dinner ends' Harry said to himself.

Harry then pulled the lever at the end. At first, nothing seemed to happen, until Harry noticed that the sand in the hourglasses was flowing faster, then they began swirling and the rune on the platform began glowing. Harry was about to move towards it when he heard the door open, and turned to see Joseph with five aurors and the heads of each of the divisions in the Department of Mysteries.

"That's quite enough, Harry." Joseph said. "Now, step away from the…machine and let's talk."

"No" Harry stated, taking a step forward only to jump back when Blaise shot a stunning hex in front of him.

"I won't miss on purpose next time" Blaise stated, still pointing his wand at Harry.

"You won't get another chance, Zabini" Harry said as he drew his wand and pointed it at Blaise, making everyone else but Joseph draw theirs.

"Wands down…now" Joseph ordered and everyone but Blaise and Harry did so. "Harry, enough is enough. I just want to talk and understand why you're trying to do this."

"You may want to talk, but they don't" Harry said, gesturing to the aurors and unspeakable. "That's why they're here, right? If you can't stop me, they will."

"Everyone get out" Joseph ordered and everyone started leaving the room. Blaise opened his mouth to protest, but Joseph gave him a look that made the taller male shut it and angrily walk out. "Now, why are you doing this?"

"To save Cedric" Harry said, lowering his wand. "I can't go back far enough to stop Riddle from becoming Voldemort, but I can stop Cedric from participating in the Tri-wizard Tournament."

"Harry, we've discussed this" Joseph said, slowly walking towards his friends. "Trying to change time is a gamble. Even if you do manage to save Cedric, there's no assurance that things would work out the way you want them to."

"Joseph, he was there because of me" Harry said, his eyes filling with tears. "I had multiple chances to save him and I didn't. He had asked me twice before the Goblet of Fire was revealed if I was fine with him competing, and he wouldn't have done so if I didn't want him to. He told me to take the cup, but I didn't I insisted that we take it together. I-I-I couldn't…"

"Harry, Cedric's death isn't your fault." Joseph said as he hugged the shorter raven, who hugged back tightly. "Everything you said, all those things lead back to Voldemort and his followers. Had he not interfered with the tournament, you wouldn't have had to compete, things would've gone normally, and Cedric would've won. You're not to blame."

"But…if there's a means to save Cedric, shouldn't I take it?" Harry asked in between sobs.

"Changing time is a gamble, Harry" Joseph replied. "Even if you do save him, you could come back to find, I don't know, a world where Cedric became a Death Eater."

"That's stupid" Harry said.

"I agree, but it is possible. There are an infinite number of possibilities and Cedric, as well as everyone else, could end up worse than he had before" Joseph explained. "I'm sure you know that there are fates worse than death."

"I'm sorry" Harry said after a few minutes of silence.

"It's alright. Today was a hard day for you, as it is every year. And I'm sure your nightmare didn't help" Joseph said. "Come on, I'll bring you to the Burrow. I'm sure being in a house with other people instead of Kreacher will help."

"No Joseph, I'm sorry for this" Harry said before casting a wordless Full-Body Bind curse on the taller raven.

He gently laid his friend on the ground and heard the aurors and unspeakables outside trying to undo the locking charm he cast. After apologising again to Joseph, Harry rushed onto the platform. The light grew brighter and Harry felt weightless. He then saw that he was actually floating. The door flew open and Blaise moved to undo the curse on Joseph while the other aurors shot spells at Harry, which rebounded. The unspeakables rushed over to the control panel but before they could do anything, there was a huge flash and Harry was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN** : This is the first new chapter of this story's rewrite. I've decided to write the thr GoF mostly focusing on Cedric as a non-champion. Thank you to nightingaleflyer for the suggestion. Don't worry everyone else, we'll still see plenty of Harry, Joseph and Draco.

I'd like to thank everyone for your patience and support. And i hope you all enjoy this new chapter and the rest of the rewritten version of this story.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Harry landed on his arse in an alleyway in between the Three Broomsticks and one of the clothing shops. Looking up to see the night sky, and casting a quick tempus charm revealed that it was 7:30 in the evening. He then noticed numbers on his arm. "1:59" it said and after a minute, it became "1:58." As Joseph had said, the unspeakables found they only had two hours before they were brought back to their own time, so the made their device imprint on the time traveller their time limit.

' _Alright, I've made it this far_ Harry told himself. ' _Just gotta keep focused. Besides, 10:30 is about the time Ced and I headed back to our dorms_

He then brought out the vial with the auror's hair and the bottle of Polyjuice he took from Joseph's office. Harry did feel a little pang of guilt for betraying his friend's trust and cursing him, but he shook it off and figured he'd apologise when he got back. He poured the blonde strands into the potion and after letting it set for a minute, downed the foul tasting liquid.

Harry slowly transformed; his hair turned blonde, his face became rounder, and his body thinner. He soon looked like one of the aurors that was guarding the Time Room. Casting a quick disillusionment charm, Harry began taking off his Head Auror robes, and brought out and enlarged some regular auror robes before putting them on. He then transfigured the Head Auror robes into rocks, and started walking down the streets of Hogsmeade, heading for Honeydukes.

"Good evening, ma'am" Harry greeted the owner.

"Good evening" The witch replied. "Is there something I can help you with, Auror...-?"

"Davids, ma'am" Harry finished for her while showing the badge he'd taken from the real auror. "Professor Dumbledore informed us that there was a secret passageway in your cellar leading into Hogwarts."

"Oh goodness me" The witch said with a gasp. "If Sirius Black had gotten in last year through here, I would be out of business."

"Quite" Harry said with a nod. "For security reasons, the headmaster has asked me to seal the passageway."

"Of course, follow me" The witch said as she led Harry in and showed him a door in the back. "This leads down to the cellar."

"Thank you for your cooperation, ma'am" Harry said with a nod.

"Once the witch turned to return to the front, Harry brought out his wand and cast a spell to alter her memory. After apologising softly, he threw on his invisibility cloak and headed down.

Harry quietly entered the third floor corridor, the statue of the one-eyed witch sliding back into place to hide the secret passage. Harry checked his watch and it was quarter past eight, meaning Dumbledore was about to dismiss everyone for the night. Quickly but quietly, Harry headed for the Astronomy Tower, dodging Peeves and Mrs. Norris on the way.

When he got there, Harry hid where he had the night Professor Dumbledore died. A part of him wanted to head for the headmaster's office, tell him about the horcruxes, but if he wanted to save Cedric, he had to stay put. And even if he did tell Dumbledore, he doubted the old man would believe him without Harry revealing himself, which would cause consequences so great, even he wouldn't risk it.

Harry suddenly heard footsteps and wondered how long he'd been spacing out. He turned and saw Cedric. He had to resist the urge to rush over and hug the brunette, reminding himself that he was nine years older and looked like someone else. After getting over the fact that his boyfriend was alive, Harry began preparing himself for what he was about to do; he was going to use the Imperius curse on himself.

He wondered if it would work. He was able to throw of Moody's...Coruch's Imperius curse when he tested them. He wondered if the fact that the younger version of him didn't know what the Imperius curse felt like, or that it was being cast upon him, would make it easier to gain control. Harry sighed. He had only used the Imperius curse three times, when he, Ron, and Hermione broke into Bellatrix's vault, and he hated doing it. The only reason he probably succeeded was because he was desperate at the time. Harry heard footsteps again and saw his younger self arrive. Seeing his younger self smile widely at seeing Cedric filled him with even more conviction than he had when he broke into Joseph's office. The students began conversing and Harry readied himself.

"You're thinking of entering?" Younger Harry asked.

' _Now or never_ ' Harry thought as he brought out his wand.

"I know it's risky and there's a possibility that I could end up really hurt or…worse" Cedric said. "But the thing is, I really want to enter, become Hogwarts's champion and if I do, do everything to win it."

"Imperio" Harry cast softly, pointing his wand at his younger self.

"Ced..." Younger Harry began before he felt something strange. It wasn't a bad feeling, he even felt at ease. He then had this idea to tell Cedric not to enter, but shook it off.

"Harry, are you alright?" Cedric asked.

"Yeah, just felt a little strange" Younger Harry replied.

"So, how do you feel about me putting my name forward for the tournament?" Cedric asked.

"Imperio" Harry cast again, putting more conviction into the spell.

Younger Harry felt the calming sensation again, only this time, it was stronger, and he submitted to it.

"I don't want you to put your name forward" He said.

"Harry, why?" Cedric asked in disbelief. "Do you think I'm not up for it?"

"Of course not, Ced" Harry made his younger self say. "I just don't want you risking your life."

Harry felt heat pooling on his right forearm. He pulled back his sleeve and saw that he had half an hour left.

"Please Ced, don't do it" Younger Harry pleaded as he hugged his boyfriend. "All the stuff that's happened; me dreaming about You-Know-Who and my scar hurting when i wake up, those Death Eaters and the Dark Mark appearing at the world cup. I have a feeling they're all connected and that something bad's going to happen that involves the tournament."

The Hufflepuff looked down at his boyfriend, tears were threatening to pour from his green eyes, and he sighed, hugging the raven back tightly and nodding.

"Alright Harry, if you don't want me to put my name forward, then I won't" Cedric said as he rubbed the Gryffindor's back.

"Promise?" Younger Harry asked.

"I told myself when considering on entering the tournament that if you didn't want me to, I wouldn't do it" Cedric stated. "You and I can both spend the year for Hogwarts's champion focus on our studies."

"I'm sorry" Younger Harry said. "I know how much you wanted to do this."

"It's alright" Cedric returned. "In all honesty, I just think I wanted to do it cause my dad made winning the tournament sound like the best thing in the world without mentioning how dangerous it was gonna be. One of my friends said that one time before, when Durmstrang was the host, the champions had to search a frozen tundra at night for a sack of supplies, carry it back, and defend themselves against whatever came for them."

"But you seemed so excited" Younger Harry said.

"Sure, the idea of being known as the winner Tri-Wizard Tournament is appealing" Cedric began before looking directly into Harry's eyes. "But I remember the feeling of dread I felt when I couldn't find you the night you saved Sirius and yourself from all those dementors. It was the worst feeling in the world, and I don't want you feeling that all throughout the year."

Younger Harry pulled Cedric in for a deep kiss, the two parting a minute later.

"I love you Cedric" Harry said with a smile.

"I love you too, Harry" Cedric returned with a smile of his own. "Come on, we better get back to our dorms before Filch catches us.

The two students and the shared a quick kiss before heading down. Harry had released his younger of the Imperius curse when they shared that last kiss and began following them. Cedric and Younger Harry shared a quick kiss before they parted ways in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry waited a few minutes before he approached the Fat Lady and said the password.

He watched his younger self climb up the stairs leading to the dormitories and waited five minutes before heading to the fourth year boys' dormitory. He quietly walked in and saw asleep already. He was afraid that his younger self would've taken longer to fall asleep, but was relieved that he was wrong. Harry then took out his wand, pointed it his younger self, and quietly cast the spell to remove the memory of being Imperiused so that when Crouch starts training them to resist the Imperius curse, he wouldn't realise that it had already been used on him. Harry also altered his younger self's memory so that he would believe that the thoughts and feelings Harry made him feel were his own.

Harry snuck out once he had finished, checked his forearm and saw that he had ten minutes left. As quickly and quietly as he could, Harry rushed out of the Gryffindor common and headed for the third floor corridor. As he rushed, Harry could only hope and pray that, for once in his life, things would go his way.

* * *

Harry groaned, his head was hurting like hell. He slowly opened his eyes and immediately noticed the white walls, and white tiles on the floor. Why was he at St. Mungo's? Did something go wrong during a mission?

"Ah you're finally awake." He heard someone say.

He saw Joseph approaching him, checking a clipboard that were most likely his vital signs.

"Joseph, what's going on?" Harry asked. "Why am I here?"

Joseph opened his mouth to say something, but the door opened, and Harry's eyes widened.

"Cedric?" Harry said as he stared in disbelief.

"Harry, thank Merlin you're alright." Cedric said, pulling the shorter male into a tight hug.

"I don't understand." Harry said, but hugged back. "What happened?"

Was he dreaming? Cedric definitely felt real. Perhaps he had ingested something experimental from Joseph's lab.

"I'm going to go pick up James from my parents' place, and we'll be back soon, alright?" Cedric said.

Harry didn't know what was going on, he didn't know if any of this was real. Not knowing what to say, he nodded. Cedric leaned in a gave him a short kiss before leaving.

"Joseph…that was Cedric" Harry said.

"Yes it was." Joseph said, still going through Harry's charts.

"Why was he here?" Harry asked. "And who's James, and why did Cedric go pick him up from his parents' place?"

"To check on you, of course." Joseph returned. "I think that's the natural reaction when your husband is hospitalised."

"What? Husband?" Harry asked.

"And James is your son." Joseph continued, and Harry's jaw dropped.

"Cedric and I are married? And we have a son?" Harry said in disbelief.

"You really don't remember anything?" Joseph asked.

"No." Harry said as he shook his head. "My head hurts really bad, and I can remember things from like, months ago, but nothing from the past week."

"Yes, I had a headache too when I woke up." Joseph said as he tapped Harry's chart. "But it faded after a few minutes, and I didn't lose any memory of what happened recently. Perhaps this is happening because there are more new memories for your brain to process than mine."

"What? New memories?" Harry asked as Joseph sat next to him.

"Maybe this will jog your memory." Joseph said. "Congratulations, you've successfully changed the past."

"I changed the past?" Harry asked. "How come I still remember the things that led to Cedric's death?"

"There were special enchantments on the room that let anyone inside it retain their memories" Joseph explained. "They were placed there so if the past was changed for the worst, they could go and fix it."

"So, I have two sets of memories now?" Harry asked, and Joseph nodded. "Won't it get confusing?"

"That depends on you" Joseph said. "I and some other Unspeakables are fine with the new set of memories. Meanwhile, the rest and Blaise had the old set of memories obliviated to make things easier for them. They've been put to sleep to let the new memories...set in."

Just as Harry was about to ask another question, there was a knock on the door, and a mediwitch entered.

"Sir, Mr. Potter's family is here" She said. "Shall I let them in?"

"Just his husband and son, for now" Joseph said. "I'll let you have some time with Cedric and James before we start helping you with your new memories. If Cedric asks what happened last night, tell him that you can't remember and I'll explain the situation to him when I get back."

Harry nodded, taking a minute to compose himself while Joseph left. The door to his room opened again, and his heart nearly exploded when he saw Cedric come in, carrying a boy about 2 years-old.

"See James? Papa's okay" Cedric said, before kissing Harry on the cheek.

Cedric gently handed James over to Harry, and the shorter male smiled as he stared down at his son, the young boy's grey eyes looking back at him happily.

"It'll take a lot more to hurt your papa" Harry said before kissing James on the head and ruffling his black hair.

"So can I ask what happened?" Cedric asked. "When Kingsley told me that you were brought to St. Mungo's this morning, all he said was that your life wasn't in danger."

"Well considering what I get into, that's a good thing" Harry said with a small smile. "I'm sorry for making you worry. Also, I can't remember what happened last night."

"What? Did you hit your head?" Cedric asked worriedly.

"No, I'm alright. Joseph said he'll explain things when he gets back" Harry replied. "Can we talk about something else? Like what my two favourite men were up to last night."

"Well, after having dinner at my parents' house, we headed home, James coloured a few pages in that new colouring book you got him, I gave him a bath, and read him a bedtime story" Cedric said with a smile, before giving Harry a serious look. "I'm just worried about you, love. I was already extremely worried before, and that was when you were just Harry Potter. Now, you're an auror who's probably going to become Head Auror, which will put a bigger target on your back."

"I know, and I'm sorry for making you worry so much" Harry said, taking Cedric's hand and squeezing it. "Can we talk about this later?"

Cedric nodded his assent, and the brunette spent the next couple minutes talking about training before Joseph came back in.

"How are we doing?" He asked.

"We're doing great" Harry said with a smile.

"As relieved as I am that Harry's alright, I think we'd both like to hear about what happened last night" Cedric stated and Harry agreed.

"Alright" Joseph said with a nod before taking a seat next to Cedric. "Over the couple of past weeks, some poorly made potions were being sold in Diagon and Knockturn Alley. Ingesting these could have serious repercussions on the one taking them."

"But why would people do that?" Cedric asked.

"To make a quick profit and get away" Joseph replied. "I was asked to come in and help with isolating the magical signature on the potion."

"You can do that?" Harry asked in awe.

"Highly skilled potioneers, given time, can isolate the individual ingredients of a potion" Joseph explained. "And only skilled aurors can detect magical signatures. That's why you were there, Harry."

"So, what happened yesterday?" Cedric asked.

"I arrived at the ministry at five, and after four hours, I was nearly done" Joseph replied. "But a couple of aurors brought in the actual culprit. Things got violent, and a misfired spell hit the bag of potions, causing an explosion. Of course, Harry had to play hero and push me out of the way, getting caught in the blast himself."

"It's what I do best" Harry said with a sheepish smile.

"You saving people's lives will eventually end mine" Cedric said with a sigh. "So, the blast caused by the mixture of the spell and several potions caused Harry to forget what happened yesterday?"

"You could say that" Joseph said and Cedric gave him a confused look. "The explosion caused Harry to forget a lot of things...like everything since our fourth year in Hogwarts."

"How is that not serious?" Cedric asked, his eyes were wide as they could go.

"Ced, everything's going to be okay" Harry said, squeezing his husband's hand.

"Perhaps forget wasn't the right word" Joseph said. "The memories are still there, they aren't lost. It just takes a while for Harry to recall them."

"But you can help, right?" Cedric asked. "I mean, that's a huge amount of Harry's life."

"I will definitely be able to help, but I will need to keep Harry here for the next couple days." Joseph replied. "An entire week at the most."

"Do you really need an entire week?" Harry asked.

"Harry, you've forgotten a lot of things, from the smallest details to the huge events" Joseph explained. "You could be speaking to someone, misremember some things, and offend them."

Joseph was right. Harry knew he was right, and knew what a serious situation this was. He was just being selfish, wanting to get out of St. Mungo's and immediately get to spending time with Cedric and James. But what was the point if he couldn't remember things like James's birthdays, or his and Cedric's wedding.

"So that's why you just had James and I come in?" Cedric asked Joseph. "So I could be the one to relay the news to everyone else, and no one would nag you."

"A few more months and you could outwit any Slytherin in their first year" Joseph said with a smirk. "But yes, I would gladly appreciate it if you could relay the news to everyone, and inform them that it isn't too serious, and he'll be back to normal soon. I will be working with him immediately."

"And there's our cue to leave" Cedric stated as he sat back down. "I'll visit again tonight, and bring James again tomorrow."

"Thank you" Harry said with a smile before turning to his son. "Don't worry baby, I'll be home soon."

Harry gave James a kiss on the head before he and Cedric shared a short, but sweet kiss. They waved goodbye to each other before Cedric left the room with James.

"I miss them already" Harry said with a sigh.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to go back home with them soon" Joseph said, giving the shorter raven a comforting squeeze in the shoulder. "Shall we get started?"

* * *

Cedric entered the den in his parents' house. For the time being, he and James would stay there while Harry recovered. And Joseph definitely owed him big time for having him explain to everyone what happened. The brunette then remembered that Harry had forgotten things from his fourth year onwards. Did that mean he forgot they were married, or that they moved in together after the Gryffindor graduated, or that James was born?

"Cedric, you shouldn't worry so much" Andrea said as she entered the den.

"But mum, this is a serious situation" Cedric said. "What if Joseph can't help Harry? What if he is able to help, but Harry forgets again in the future?"

"Everything will be fine" Andrea said, pulling her son into a hug. "Joseph is an extremely talented healer. Not to mention, his father is one of the most specialised in memory charms."

"Thanks mum" Cedric said with a smile. "Did you have any trouble getting James to sleep?"

"Not at all. He was an angel, as always" Andrea replied.

The two discussed plans for tomorrow before heading off to bed. Cedric entered his old room, which was redecorated since this is the room he and Harry stayed in when they visited. He quietly approached the crib, smiling at how peaceful his son looked. After taking a quick shower, the brunette lied down on the bed, his mind focusing back on Harry.

' _Harry's going to be okay_ ' Cedric thought while taking a deep breath. ' _Joseph's definitely going to succeed, and Harry will be back to normal soon_.'

Needing to distract himself, Cedric summoned the photo album from Harry's fourth and his sixth year, the year of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. As he flipped the pages, Cedric's smile grew wider and wider as he recalled so many things; celebrating his and Harry's first anniversary, teaching Harry how to dance, spending Christmas with all their friends. He spent the next half hour going through the album before falling asleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

 ** _11 years ago..._**

Cedric walked out into the Hufflepuff common room, excited for the new school year. He checked the notice board for any important announcements and headed for the Great Hall to eat breakfast.

"Hey Ced, over here" Another guy in his year called, and Cedric went and sat next to him. "How was the prefect meeting?"

"Same as always. Is that really what you want to talk about, Damian?" Cedric asked the redhead beside him.

"I was being polite" Damian said with a huge smile. "But since you just want to cut to the chase, let's talk about the tournament. Are you going to enter?"

"I'm not?" Cedric answered and his friend, as well as every other Hufflepuff within earshot, looked surprised.

"Why not? Other than the World Cup Final, entering the tournament was all we could talk about this summer" Damian said.

"After thinking about it, without anyone else saying how great it'll be to win, and talking to some other people who aren't as willing as you to blindly enter into a death tournament, I decided not to" Cedric said, his eyes immediately darting to Harry.

"Is the person you're dating the one who talked you out of it?" Damian asked.

"Yes and no" Cedric replied. "Look, I know what it's like to worry about someone not coming out of something alive."

"Yeah...still can't believe that happened at the World Cup Final" Damian said, letting out a shaky breath.

Cedric meant when Harry was trying to protect Sirius from werewolf Professor Lupin and around a hundred dementors. It should really bother him more that his boyfriend gets into so many life or death situations.

"We were there. I was so worried that we weren't going to make it out alive. I was worried about my dad facing off against the Death Eaters" Cedric said. "It's a horrible feeling, and I can't have my loved ones endure that for an entire year just so I could try to win the tournament."

"Alright" Damian said with a nod, and returned to eating his breakfast.

"Hey, I may not be putting my name forward, but you should" Cedric said as he gave his friend an encouraging smile. "If you get picked to represent Hogwarts, I'm sure you'll do amazingly."

"I'm not bummed out that you're not putting your name forward anymore" Damian said. "I'm bummed out because we've been friends since our first year, and you haven't told me who you're dating."

"I'm sorry, but they're just a very private and shy person" Cedric said.

Cedric felt guilty. Damian has been one of his closest and most loyal friends. He also knew Cedric as well as the brunette knew himself. Damian immediately picked up the change in Cedric's demeanour when he and Harry started dating, but kept it a secret from everyone else because Cedric asked him too. He was the closest thing Cedric had to an actual brother.

"I'll talk to them and see if they'd be okay with us telling you" Cedric said.

"Thanks Ced" The shorter Hufflepuff said with a smile.

"No problem. So, are you still going to enter the tournament?" Cedric asked.

"Maybe. I'm pretty good at duelling and charms" Damian stated.

"Well, you'd definitely win duelling the other champions" Cedric said with a smirk. "You're a smaller target."

"Prat" Damian said while lightly shoving Cedric. "I'll see you after Arithmancy."

Cedric waved to Damian before getting up himself, and heading to Charms. As he turned the corner, he nearly bumped into his boyfriend.

"Merlin's beard, Harry. I could've hurt you" Cedric said.

"But you wouldn't have because you're such a softie" Harry said with a smile before giving Cedric a peck on the cheek. "Sorry, but I wanted to talk to you."

"What about?" Cedric asked.

"Well, I know your last class of the day ends at two" Harry stated.

"How do you know that?" Cedric asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you forgotten about our Slytherin friend?" Harry asked with a smirk. "Anyway, my last class ends at three. Want to meet at our spot by the Black Lake?"

"Well, I was planning to go through the Prefect Handbook again, but your suggestion sounds much better" Cedric said with a smile, giving Harry a short kiss.

"See you then" Harry said, giving his boyfriend a quick peck on the lips before heading to Transfiguration.

Cedric knew he was going to be bothered by his dad for not entering the tournament, as well as several of his housemates, but as he watched Harry run adorably down the hall, he knew he made the right choice


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It was a week before the Triwizard champions were to be announced, and the levels of excitement within the school had skyrocketed. Cedric had owled his father about not putting his name forward and as expected, his father reprimanded and scolded him in his letters. Cedric merely ignored his father's letters for the past few days. He's surprised his father hasn't sent a howler, but it didn't matter what his father said, did or wanted. Cedric was perfectly happy sitting on the sidelines with Harry, both of them perfectly safe.

"Who do you think is going to be the champion for Hogwarts?" Cedric asked Harry, who was lying on the grass with his head on the Hufflepuff's lap.

"I just want it to be someone from Gryffindor" Harry replied with a smile. "But if I were to choose a specific student, it'd have to be Angelina."

"Yeah, she'd be a great pick" Cedric said with a nod. "She's tough, smart, and a great chaser."

"So, who from your house do you want the champion to be?" Harry asked.

"Well, there's this friend of mine" Cedric began. "He's not as athletic as the others and he's not the smartest, but he's a great duelist and an extremely hard worker. I'm sure he'd do well."

"Do I have to be worried?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"He's just a friend. In fact, he was the first friend I made when I arrived at Hogwarts" Cedric replied as he ran a hand through Harry's hair. "He's the one who helped me with understanding a lot of muggle things at the start, since he's a muggleborn."

"He sounds like a great friend" Harry said, smiling softly up at Cedric.

"He's the closest thing I have to a brother" Cedric said. "He actually immediately knew that I was dating someone the night we got together. I didn't tell him that I was dating you since we're keeping our relationship a secret."

"Are you okay with keeping that from him?" Harry asked as he sat up. "It was hard keeping our relationship from Hermione."

"He actually told me that he was a little bit hurt by me not telling him who I'm in a relationship with" Cedric said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry" The younger teen said as he took Cedric's hand. "I don't want to cause a rift between you and your friend."

"That's not your fault Harry" Cedric said. "But if you were open to it, maybe we can tell him? I'm sure he won't tell anyone, and I'm sure you guys will get along great."

"If he's been an amazing friend to you, I'm sure he'll be an amazing friend to me" Harry said with a smile.

"So, is that a yes?" Cedric asked.

"Let's meet him at the Three Broomsticks this Saturday?" Harry suggested. "We can even bring Hermione, Cho and Joseph."

"I love that idea" Cedric said, placing a kiss on the Gryffindor's cheek. "I love you so much."

"Love you too" Harry returned and gave Cedric's lips a quick peck.

The two teens stayed for a couple more minutes at their spot overlooking the Black Lake before Cedric escorted Harry to the Greenhouses for Herbology and he headed for Charms.

* * *

Hermione was heading to the library after dinner that evening. But rather than walking there in her normal pace, she was rushing a bit. In fact, she almost bumped into someone when she turned a corner.

"Oh Joseph, I'm sorry I almost bumped into you" Hermione apologised.

"It's quite alright" Joseph said. "You're heading to the library to see Viktor, yes?"

"W-What? O-Of course not" Hermione immediately said.

"Hermione, I kept my feelings for Draco a secret for years. I can tell when someone's lying" Joseph stated. "Even without that experience, your blushing face is a huge giveaway."

"Okay, so what if I am going to see Viktor?" The brunette asked. "He's a nice person."

"Yes, and that nice person kissed me last night" Joseph said and Hermione's eyes widened. "And he knew I was in a relationship with Draco. What's worse is that Draco and I had an argument earlier, and he saw us kissing when he went to the library to talk to me...and we broke up."

"Joseph...I'm so sorry" Hermione said.

"It's alright" Joseph said with a sigh. "My and Draco's relationship was on the rocks the weeks before the new school year started. Maybe this is for the best."

"I'm still sorry" Hermione said. "I'm not going to see Viktor anymore."

"No, go see Viktor" Joseph said.

"I'm not interested in someone who would do that" Hermione said. "Even if he didn't intend to break you two up, he still kissed you when you were in a relationship with someone else."

"Well, I was thinking you could help me get some revenge" Joseph said, and Hermione looked intrigued. "You go, talk to him like normal, and ask him if he showed any interest in anybody else."

"And then you show up when he denies it" Hermione said. "What about if he doesn't deny it."

"I still come out and make him face what he did" Joseph said.

"You have my full support" Hermione said. "And I have a few choice spells I wish to use on him. Let's go teach him not to mess with the smartest people in the school."

* * *

Cedric and Damian walked together as they headed for Hogsmeade. While the announcing of the Triwizard champions that night was at the forefront on their minds, Cedric was more focused on Harry and Damian meeting. He was sure that Harry and Damian would get along well, but there was that tiny voice saying "what if they don't?" Cedric don't know what he would do if they didn't like each other and he had to choose who to hang out with.

"Stop worrying so much Ced" Damian said. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

"I just want for everything to go perfectly" Cedric said with a small smile.

"Well, if we hate each other, at least you have other friends there to keep us from hexing each other" Damian said with a chuckle.

Cedric gave a small smile, and the two friends talked about Damian's chances of being the Hogwarts champion until they got to the Three Broomsticks. Cedric led them up to the private room they rented. They entered, and the four other people inside turned their attention to them.

"So you and Cho finally got together?" Damian asked.

"Ced and I aren't dating, Dames" Cho said.

"Well, this must be her" Damian said as he moved to shake Hermione's hand. "Damian Clark, it's nice to meet you."

"Hermione Granger, 4th year Gryffindor" Hermione introduced herself. "And I'm not the one Cedric has been dating over the past year."

"Sorry. But that means…" Damian said slowly as his eyes landed on Joseph.

"As if _I_ would be dating Cedric" Joseph scoffed.

"Really? He's a friend of yours?" Damian asked Cedric.

"Joseph takes a while to warm up to other people" Cedric said. "And that's just his way of saying he likes me as a friend."

"But who are you dating?" Damian asked. "There's no one else here.

"Actually, there is" Someone said, and the two Hufflepuffs turned to see Harry sitting on the couch on the other side of the room.

Harry stood and moved to stand next to Cedric, lacing his fingers together with the older teen's.

"Damian, I'm sure you know who this is already, but I'm going to introduce you guys anyway" Cedric said as he took a deep breath. "Dames, this is Harry Potter. We've been dating each other for almost a year now. Harry, this is Damian Clark, and he's been my closest friends since my first day in Hogwarts."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you" Harry said, and moved to shake Damian's hand.

"You two have been together for nearly a year" Damian said, his face nearly as blank as Joseph's. "Do you love him?"

"Damian" Cedric said. "That's not-"

"I do" Harry said, cutting Cedric off. "I love him more than anyone or anything in this world.

There was a minute of silent staring until Damian broke out in a wide grin, and pulled Harry into a tight hug.

"That's great" He said. "Sorry about that, but I had to be a serious overprotective brother first."

"Why? You had me worried there" Cedric said with a sigh.

"Hey, I just had to make sure he loved you as much as you loved him" Damian said before looking at Harry. "You should see him when we're in the common room; always gazing off into space and smiling at random times."

"No need to bring that up" Cedric scolded, making everyone in the room chuckle.

After everyone got settled, everyone started talking as if they had been friends for years. Damian was really friendly with everyone, even Joseph warmed up to him slightly, and it was clear he cared a lot about Cedric from the stories he told of them hanging out to Cedric's first Quidditch match.

"I swear, I thought Ced was done for when the Slytherin beater hit that bludger his way" Damian said. "But he dodged it so easily, like he had been in a Quidditch team his whole life."

"Impressive, but he didn't catch the Snitch with his mouth" Joseph remarked with a smirk.

"Why?" Harry asked with a groan.

"Come on Harry, you might as well own it" Cho said. "It will forever be in history."

"So, how did you all become friends?" Damian asked. "I mean, it's not strange to make friends with people from other houses, but Gryffindor and Slytherin's relationship has been more antagonistic than normal since Harry became a first year, and there's an age gap between you guys."

"Well believe it or not, but Joseph and Cho were the reason Harry and I got together" Cedric said.

Everyone then began talking about everything, from Cedric telling everyone that Cho suggested Cedric to bring Harry treats after he fell off his broom due to the dementors, to Harry talking about confessing his feelings to Cedric after they were trapped under one of the Weasley twins' charmed mistletoes.

"I remember those" Damian said as he chuckled. "I also remember seeing Joseph and Malfoy together under one. That was hilarious."

"Yes, it was" Joseph said before standing and gathering his things. "If you'll all excuse me, I have an essay to finish."

The Slytherin left before anyone could say anything, and there was an uneasy feeling in the air.

"Did I say something wrong?" Damian asked worriedly

"It's a long story" Harry said with sigh. "Basically, Joseph does like Malfoy, and they got together this summer. But they recently broke up, and it's still a pretty sensitive topic."

"Well, people do say my big mouth will get me killed someday" Damian said.

"It's alright, you didn't know" Cedric said as he patted his friend on the back. "Joseph will understand that."

"Maybe I should go after him and apologise" Damian said, but Harry shook his head.

"When Joseph gets like this, he doesn't talk to anyone" He said. "Just give him a day or two to cool off, and then go apologise."

"Why don't we change topics?" Cho suggested, and everyone agreed.

"Oh, did you guys hear that they found Krum tied up in the library the other night" Damian said. "Who do you think did that?"

"Who knows?" Hermione asked while avoiding to make eye contact with Harry.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was almost time to announce the champions of the respective schools, and the Great Hall was filled with excitement. Cedric was sitting next to Damian, who was a ball of nerves.

"Excited?" Cedric asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, but there's also this anxiety" Damian said.

"About what? Not getting chosen?" Cedric asked.

"There's that, but also if I get picked" Damian said. "Like, I'm representing the entire school on my own. And we know how brutal this tournament can get."

"Hey, it'll be alright" Cedric reassured his friend. "And if you get picked, you'll have me and the rest of our friends helping out."

"Thanks Ced" Damian said with a small smile.

The taller brunette nodded with a smile, and returned their focus to the front when Professor Dumbledore called for silence in the Great Hall. Dumbledore explained a few things before everyone focused their attention on the Goblet of Fire. After a minute, the blue flame turned red, and out shot a tongue of fire. The fire dissipated, revealing a charred piece of parchment, which the Hogwarts headmaster grabbed out of the air.

"The champion of Durmstrang is…" Dumbledore began. "Viktor Krum."

The the entire delegation cheered as Viktor made his way to the front, Karkaroff being the loudest of them all. Cedric knew of Karkaroff's past, but that's not what made him wary of the former Death Eater. What made the brunette distrust Karkaroff was that whenever the Durmstrang headmaster smiled, the smile never reached his eyes. Cedric was pulled out of his thoughts when the flame of the Goblet of Fire turned red again, and another tongue of fire shot out.

"The champion of Beauxbatons is Miss Fleur Delacour" Dumbledore announced, and an attractive girl with an elegant air about her stood and made her way to the front.

"I do not want to be either of those girls' boyfriend right now" Damian whispered to Cedric, and the taller brunette noticed he was talking about two other girls from Beauxbatons who were sobbing into their arms.

The flame of the Goblet turned red, and every Hogwarts student was excited to find out who their champion was.

"The champion for Hogwarts is Cassius Warrington" Dumbledore announced.

Other than the students from the other schools and the teachers, there was shock and silence. Even the Slytherins didn't expect the champion to be Cassius, they probably didn't even expect the champion to be from their house. But the Slytherins immediately recovered, and began applauding and cheering for Cassius. Cassius stood and began proudly walking towards the front when the protests from the other houses began.

"You must be joking"

"We want a redo!"

"Might as well back the other champions now"

Cedric heard, along with some others, and sighed. Unsurprisingly, majority of the protests came from Gryffindor.

"Can you believe this?" Damian asked.

"What, that Warrington is our champion or that people would rather root for a rival school than for a Slytherin?" Cedric asked as he sipped his pumpkin juice.

"Well, it's quite clear the latter is true" Damian said. "But you're fine with Warrington being our champion?"

"Look, Warrington is a huge arse, that much is undeniable" Cedric began. "But he's a skilled wizard. And the Goblet of Fire is an unbiased magical artefact. If it chose Warrington, then we should back him since he's representing our school."

Dumbledore began talking about wishing the champions luck and showing them support, but was stopped when the students began whispering. The Hogwarts headmaster turned to see the that the Goblet's flame had turned red again. A tongue of flame shot out, and the headmaster grabbed the piece of parchment, slowly looking up after reading it.

"Harry Potter" Dumbledore announced, and all eyes in the Great Hall landed on Harry.

' _Harry, what's going on?'_ Cedric asked Harry using his necklace, but the raven didn't respond.

"Harry Potter" Dumbledore called again, louder this time, and Hermione made Harry stand.

Harry began slowly walking towards the front and when he was halfway there, he heard people applauding. Soon, majority of the Hogwarts student body was applauding, the Gryffindors were cheering, but Harry still looked shocked and unsure.

"How did that happen?" Damian asked Cedric.

"I don't know" Cedric replied. "Harry isn't responding to me."

"Well, at least now we have an alternative to Cassius Warrington" Damian said.

"Something just doesn't feel right" Cedric said.

Dumbledore then dismissed the students. Cedric stood and began leading the first year Hufflepuffs to the dorms. Before he left the Great Hall, he glanced back to the front to see Dumbledore, Bagman, Crouch, Maxime, Karkaroff, McGonagall, Snape and Moody rush into the trophy room, making that sinking feeling worse.

Cedric was waiting outside the Great Hall, so many things going through his head all at once. One thought was that Harry told him not to enter so they wouldn't be competing against each other, but he quickly dismissed that thought.

' _Harry would never do that'_ Cedric told himself. ' _Besides, Harry hates being the centre of attention.'_

Cedric was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps and saw Karkaroff and Krum leaving, followed by Madame Maxime and Fleur. Next were Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman, then Professors Dumbledore, Moody and McGonagall, followed by Cassius and Snape. Finally, Harry exited the Great Hall, looking as shocked as he was when Dumbledore called his name.

"Harry, are you alright?" Cedric asked as he approached his boyfriend. "What happened?"

"I'm competing in the tournament" Harry said shakily, and Cedric led them to sit on the steps.

"How did that happen?" Cedric asked, and Harry began explaining what happened in the trophy room, and then Moody's theory. "You don't actually believe that, do you?"

"Why else would anyone go through all that trouble?" Harry asked. "And Moody may have taken more curses and hexes than anyone should in their lifetime, but he's an expert when it comes to dealing with dark wizards. What makes things worse is I'm sure this isn't a coincidence with my scar hurting, dreams of Voldemort, and with what happened at the World Cup finals. They're all connected somehow."

"Hey, everything's going to be okay" Cedric said as he pulled Harry onto his lap and hugged him tightly.

"When Warrington was called, I was a little disappointed, but I thought 'at least all my time will be focused on school work, my friends and Cedric this year'" Harry said with a sigh. "Why can't things ever be easy?"

"Hey, this isn't the end of the world" Cedric said. "You're going to get through this. And you'll have me and all our other friends helping you."

"Are you sure Joseph won't be supporting Cassius?" Harry asked with a small smile.

"He's a Slytherin, he'll just be glad Hogwarts has a 50% chance to win the tournament" Cedric said and Harry chuckled. "Come on, I'll walk you to your common room."

* * *

The next morning, Draco and his group sat closer to Cassius, who was surrounded by his usual group of friends. The blonde Slytherin, while he didn't personally like Cassius, had to show his support for him, as every other house was supporting Potter. All of them had thought up theories on how Potter became a champion. Whatever the case was, Slytherin was standing firmly behind their champion. Draco let his eyes roam and they landed on Joseph, who was a few seats down. Draco would've thought he would be sitting next to Krum after seeing them kiss in the library, but the taller Slytherin was seated in between Pansy and Theo.

"What's wrong Draco?" Blaise asked.

"Why isn't he with Krum?" Draco asked.

"Well, it could be because they don't want to tell everyone that they're together" Blaise said. "Or it could be truth, which is Krum kissed him, they aren't together and you overreacted."

"How would you know? You weren't there" Draco scoffed.

"I know because Joseph told me" Blaise stated. "And are we talking about the same Joseph? Because I'm talking about the Joseph that valued your friendship so much more than his own wants that he kept his feelings for you a secret for nearly three years."

Draco merely turned to Astoria on his other side and began talking to her. Blaise sighed and stood.

"Do whatever you want Draco" Blaise said before heading out of the Great Hall.

Draco watched his friend leave, then saw Joseph, Pansy, Theo and Millicent get up and leave. As Draco mindlessly nodded to whatever Astoria was talking about, he watched as his oldest friend was doing the same thing, nodding to whatever his friends were talking about, but Joseph wasn't pretending to enjoy the conversation. He was clearly bothered by something, and Draco knew exactly what it was.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was Harry's free period. He should be with studying with his friends, spending time with Cedric or being anywhere other than the dungeons. Why was he here though? Because he was a nice person, and his boyfriend was a nicer person who made him do this. He was brought out of his thoughts when the door to the Potions classroom opened and out came the 6th year Slytherins and Ravenclaws. Praying that he won't get hexed, Harry gathered all his courage, and approached Cassius and his friends.

"What do you want, Potter?" One of Cassius's friends asked with a glare, but Harry ignored him.

"Can I speak to you?" Harry asked while giving Cassius a serious look.

Cassius stared for a minute before nodding, waving off his friends' protests and told them he'd meet them at History of Magic. He and Harry moved to a hall that led to some old classrooms.

"What's this about, Potter?" Cassius asked.

"Dragons. They're making us face dragons for the first task" Harry said and for a few seconds, Cassius's face showed fear before the expression turned into a sneer.

"Oh I see, trying to psyche me out" The Slytherin said. "It's not gonna work."

"Look, I came here to tell you since everyone else knows, but it's your choice if you believe me or not" Harry said with a sigh. "Just don't blame me if half your face gets burnt off."

"Wait" Cassius called as Harry began walking away. "They're really making us face dragons?"

"Yeah, they've got one for each of us" Harry said with a nod.

"But why are you telling me?" Cassius asked. "I mean, I'm your competitor. Not to mention I'm from Slytherin."

"I didn't think it was fair for you to go in blind while everyone else knew what the task was" Harry said. "And so what if you're from Slytherin? One of my closest friends is a Slytherin. I prefer making judgements on people based on who they are."

Cassius stared at the younger student before nodding and heading for his History of Magic class.

* * *

Harry and Cedric were in the library with Damian, Hermione and Joseph, all discussing how Harry could deal with the dragon in the first task. Cedric suggested that Harry should transfigure something into an animal to distract the dragon. While it was a good idea, Harry had barely enough time to perfect transfiguring something into an animal, much less animating it. Damian suggested some sort of empowered shield charm, which Joseph shot down by pointing out that dragon fire could easily penetrate most magical defenses.

"There's got to be something" Hermione said.

"I am a great flyer" Harry said, recalling what Moody had told him.

"But you're only allowed a wand" Cedric said. "Even if you shrink your Firebolt and try to smuggle it in, the judges will find and confiscate it."

"That's it!" Hermione exclaimed, surprising the boys.

"Have you figured out how I'll beat a dragon?" Harry asked.

"Yes, by flying" Hermione said. "Harry's only allowed a wand. What spell can he use to get his broom to him?"

"You can't be serious" Joseph said. "We don't even know if the summoning charm can reach such a long distance."

"It's our best shot" Hermione said. "And there's no specific limitation to the spell that's stated. I think Harry just needs to practice and get better at using it."

"Very well, I will keep looking for alternatives, just in case" Joseph said.

"Thanks Joseph, I really appreciate it" Harry said with a smile.

"I'm heading down" Joseph said as he stood. "See you all tomorrow."

"I'll head down with you" Damian said, to which Joseph nodded.

Joseph and Damian bade their friends goodnight, and began walking together. There was an uncomfortable silence between, since Damian still felt guilty about what he said and he didn't know how to start a conversation with the younger student. The Slytherin's blank expression also made the brunette nervous.

"So...how are your studies?" Damian asked awkwardly.

"Well" Joseph replied simply.

"I should've guessed as much" Damian said. "Ced always talks about how you're probably smarter than a lot of the seventh years."

"When there are people like Adrian Pucey in seventh year, then that's not a hard deduction to make" Joseph said, making Damian chuckle.

"Definitely not" Damian said with a smile. "Look, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"You want to apologise for bringing up the incident with the Weasley twins' prank mistletoe" Joseph said.

"How'd you know?" Damian asked with a shocked expression.

"For the past weeks, you've been looking at me with the expression of a kicked puppy" Joseph stated. "Anytime I approached you and Cedric, you'd make an excuse and leave before I got there. I guessed that they told you Draco and I were actually together, but we had broken up."

"Well, I am very sorry" Damian apologised.

"You didn't have to, you didn't know about Draco and I" Joseph said. "But thank you, and I accept your apology."

"So, how'd you deduce all that?" Damian asked. "Are you some sort of magical Sherlock Holmes?"

"Before becoming friends with Harry and Cedric, I wasn't paid much mind to" Joseph said. "When you're in a group that includes Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson, you're not the one people will pay attention to. So I usually just hung back and observed people. And people are so transparent when they let their emotions dominate them."

"I'm impressed, but I don't believe no one would pay attention to you" Damian said. "I mean, you're one of the smartest people in your year."

"And in the same year, there's Hermione, Draco, Padma and Parvati Patil, even Blaise when he actually puts effort into his work" Joseph said. "I'm just saying, there are other smart people in my year."

"Whatever you say, but I still think you're pretty great" Damian said and for the first time, the Hufflepuff saw Joseph's mask crack when the younger student blushed slightly and turned away to hide it.

"I guess this is where we part ways" Joseph said when they reached the first floor landing.

"Just for the night" Damian said with a smile. "I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other in the future."

"Well, good night Damian" Joseph said. "It was surprisingly nice to talk to you."

"Good" Damian said with a wide smile. "But I think you should know this won't be the last time I'll surprise you. I'm chock-full of them."

"Doesn't it defeat the purpose of a surprise by telling someone you're going to surprise them?" Joseph asked.

"Maybe I'm telling you to let confuse you and let your guard down" The brunette said. "See you tomorrow."

Joseph watched as Damian walked away. Just before he entered the hall that led to the kitchens, the Hufflepuff looked back and waved to Joseph with a wide grin before disappearing into the hall. The Slytherin rolled his eyes, but walked back toward his common room with a small smile.

* * *

 **AN:** **Hey everyone. Just wanted to check in and see if you liked the new OC, Damian Clark. Do you like him, hate him, are indifferent about him?**

 **I was also wondering what kind of relationship Damian and Joseph should have. They'll definitely be friends, but I want to know if you guys want to see a;**

 **a) Romantic. This is certainly plausible since we already know that Draco married Astoria, and is currently with Astoria because of a certain misunderstanding.**

 **b) Brotherly love. Damian is older by two years, and Joseph is an only child. Damian also has some experience being an older brother (more deets when we get to know him better)**

 **c) Really close friends. This would be interesting since Damian and Joseph are from vastly different backgrounds, and he could give a different perspective on issues.**

 **d) Regular friends. Not the most exciting, but still fine.**

 **Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying the rewrite. If you have any questions, feel free to write them down and I'll try to respond to them as soon as I can and as best I can without giving away too much. I promise the next chapter will be longer and focus on a very cute family. Thank you for reading the chapter and hope you enjoyed-LW**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Cedric and Damian had just finished with their classes for the day and were heading back to the Hufflepuff common room to relax before dinner when they saw Harry rush out of the Entrance hall with Hermione following behind him. The two brunettes gave each other a look before going after the younger students. They followed them to the usual spot they hung out near the Black Lake, with Hermione being a couple paces away from her friend and Harry facing away from her, staring at the water.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Cedric asked quietly when he and Damian stood next to her.

"It's Skeeter's article" Hermione said with a sigh. "You remember it right? It was published about a week ago or two."

"Yup, but we know everything she writes is not worth the paper it's printed on" Damian said with nod.

"Well if you recall, the article mainly focused on Harry, even though what she wrote isn't true" Hermione said. "But she only mentioned Fleur and VIktor in passing, and she didn't even mention Cassius. Now the Slytherins are saying Harry bribed Skeeter to not mention Cassius, and told her to neglect the part that Cassius was chosen as the Hogwarts champion first."

"But anyone who personally knows Harry knows he wouldn't that" Cedric said.

"I know, and I've tried explaining that to him all day, but it's harder now since he and Ron still haven't made up" Hermione sighed.

"I'll talk to him" Cedric said before moving to stand next to Harry. "Hey."

"Hey" Harry replied with a simple nod, not taking his eyes off the lake.

"I heard you were having a rough day" Cedric said.

"That's an understatement" Harry said with a sigh. "I hate that bloody article."

"Rumours about you have spread around the school before" Cedric stated. "How is this time different?"

"At least when everyone thought I was the heir of Slytherin, there was some doubt in their minds saying that that couldn't be true" Harry replied. "But people actually believe I bribed Skeeter to not mention Cassius in the article, and they believe that I would do such a thing just cause he's in Slytherin."

"Hey, forget about them" Cedric said as he took Harry's hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "The people who know you, the people who matter wouldn't believe a single word Skeeter said."

"What about Ron?" Harry asked, finally looking at Cedric. "He's my best friend, and he seemed angrier after seeing that article."

"Look, I don't think Ron is right in believing that you purposely put your name forward" Cedric began. "But try to understand where he's coming from. Nearly everything he's ever had, someone else had it first. He's had five older brothers, so anything he did was already possibly done by someone else. He's friends with people who can buy anything they want whenever they want it. If Ron could enter the Triwizard tournament and become the champion, it would've been his chance to shine. And if he had won, you know as much as I do he'd give most of the prize money to his parents. I'm not saying you should excuse his behaviour completely, just try to understand and be patient with him. I'm sure you guys will be back to arguing about Quidditch teams again soon."

Harry nodded, and the Hufflepuff pulled him into a tight hug. They pulled away and saw that Hermione and Damian had left already. The couple spent a few more minutes just looking at the lake before heading back towards the castle. As they entered the Entrance Hall, there were also several Slytherins. As usual, the insults immediately started flying. Cedric was about to go and tell the Slytherins off when someone unexpected did it for him.

"Oh would you people shut up?" Cassius said as he and his group of friends arrived. "You really think Potter has the bollocks to bribe a reporter? He could've had the entire school under his foot two years ago when the Chamber of Secrets was opened and he spoke Parseltongue. He'd be running this place if he just let everyone believe he was Slytherin's heir.

"And so what if Potter did bribe Skeeter to not mention me?" Cassius continued, cutting off another Slytherin from speaking. "That would just mean he knows I'm the better wizard. I'm sure Skeeter's editor will finally fire after he realises she failed to mention the eventual winner of the Triwizard tournament in her first article covering the entire event."

The other Slytherins mumbled to each other, but headed for the Great Hall. Cassius turned to Harry, and the Gryffindor mouthed "thanks." Cassius merely nodded and headed into the Great Hall with his friends.

"Well, that was unexpected" Harry said.

"It was" Cedric agreed with nod. "Warrington's one of the last people from Slytherin who I expected to come to your aid."

"Yeah" Harry said before facing his boyfriend. "See you in the library after dinner?"

"Of course" Cedric said, glancing around before quickly pecking Harry's cheek.

* * *

Draco had just escaped from another session of Astoria, Daphne and Pansy chatting about dresses and jewelry. He was about to enter the 4th year boys' dorm when he heard Joseph and Blaise's voices.

"I don't see how this is any of your business" Joseph said.

"It's my business because I'm worried about you" Blaise returned.

"Me talking to someone worries you?" Joseph asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not just someone, it's that one person in particular" Blaise said. "If you're talking to him because of what happened between you and Draco, there are other, safer options."

"Me talking to him has nothing to do with Draco" Joseph replied.

"You know how dangerous it is for you to be talking to him" Blaise said.

"I know what I'm doing Blaise. If you weren't heading back to the dungeons from Ravenclaw tower because of your recent shag at the time, you wouldn't even know I had been talking to him" Joseph said. "I'm going to the bathroom, and we're not going to talk about this again."

"Just...be careful, alright?" Blaise said, and Joseph nodded before heading into the bathroom.

Draco waited a minute before entering, and saw Blaise had moved to his bed. The taller Slytherin tried looking normal, but Draco could see the worry on his face.

"You heard all that?" Blaise asked as Draco approached.

"Not the start, but probably most of it" Draco replied, sitting down on Blaise's bed. "So who did you see him talking to that's got you so worried? Potter?"

"Him talking to Potter would be easier" Blaise said with a sigh. "At least we could spin that in the right way."

"So who was he talking to?" Draco asked and Blaise looked unsure. "Did he ask you not to tell me? As I recall, he simply said he knew what he was doing and didn't want to talk about it anymore."

"It's not a matter of him specifically telling me not to tell you" Blaise replied. "You know as well as I do how much he values his privacy. He even said I wouldn't know about this of I wasn't coming back down from my latest conquest. FYI, Michael Corner."

"Didn't care about who you shagged before, still don't care now" Draco said as he rolled his eyes. "If it was just some random guy, you wouldn't be this worried about telling me."

"It's about self-preservation, Draco" Blaise said, giving the blonde a serious look.

"How so?" Draco asked, a small frown forming on his face.

"You know how our parents raised us to act around each other; we can be friendly, but can't fully trust each other" Blaise explained. "Because of certain...differences in ideals."

Draco stared at Blaise until it clicked.

"Joseph was talking to a muggleborn?" Draco asked and Blaise nodded. "So what?"

"Come on Draco, you can't be that oblivious" Blaise said. "What happened at the World Cup Final, and Potter specifically becoming a fourth champion in the tournament. Something's going to happen that involves the Death Eaters."

"So what, you didn't want to tell me who Joseph was talking to because you thought I'd tell my father?" Draco asked, slowly getting angry.

"It's not a stupid assumption to make" Blaise said as he crossed his arms. "Self-preservation is one of the things that every Slytherin values. Besides, given how you handled things in your relationship, I wouldn't put it past you not to give up that information if it somehow made you look good in your father's eyes."

"How dare you?!" Draco asked angrily as he stood. "I know I handled things poorly with regards to my relationship with Joseph. Do I regret that? Yes, but I would never do anything to put him or his family in harm's way, even if doing that could benefit me or my family. Even if it meant my own life, I'd never give him up. And I'd never give up you, Pansy, Daphne, or Theo, even though all of you are huge pains in my arse."

"Alright" Blaise nodded. "I'm sorry. It's just how we were raised, you know. The paranoid survive."

Draco nodded and accepted Blaise's apology before leaving to finish his Ancient Runes essay and to calm down in the common room.

' _Hopefully, when push comes to shove, you'll stick by those words Draco'_ Blaise told himself before getting ready for bed.

* * *

The 24th of November arrived and everyone in Hogwarts was buzzing with excitement since today was the first task. Cedric spent all of his break time in between classes in the morning with Harry, reassuring him everything would be okay. The champions were finally called to assemble after lunch, and Cedric gave Harry a long kiss before letting the Gryffindor go. The brunette then went to meet up with Cho and Damian, who then began telling him Harry was going to be alright.

"He's going to be fine, Ced" Cho reassured.

"Yeah, he's faced You-Know-Who three times and won, a giant acromantula and hundreds of its children, and about a thousand dementors" Damian pointed out. "Compared to all that, a dragon's going to be a piece of cake."

Cedric nodded, but he was still unsure.

"I know what will make you feel better" Damian said before pointing to the Weasley twins, who had set up a betting pool for which of the champions would end up first. "What's better than watching your boyfriend take the lead than watching him take the lead and winning several galleons?"

Cedric rolled his eyes, but smiled and nodded. The three friends approached the Weasley twins and they paid the fee of five galleons each. Cedric was a little surprised to see Cassius was nearly tied with Viktor, who was the crowd favourite. Damian then pointed out that the richer Slytherins must have given other members of their house the galleons to bet on Cassius. Fleur was third, with Harry not far behind. After thanking the Weasley twins, the three friends headed to get their seats in the stand.

* * *

Harry nervously sat at one corner in the tent they were waiting in. He looked up, and was a little glad that everyone else looked just as nervous about the first task as he was. Fleur was fiddling her necklace. Harry left his own necklace in his trunk. Since he was only allowed his wand, he was afraid the judges would find out he could use it to communicate with Cedric and confiscate it. Viktor was standing still, but he looked more annoyed than when Karkaroff kept praising him in the Great Hall. And while Cassius had a blank expression on, which Harry deduced was a skill probably every Slytherin has mastered, he was pacing back and forth. Realising that sitting nervously wouldn't help, Harry stood and approached the other Hogwarts champion.

"What do you want, Potter?" Cassius asked as he stopped pacing and faced the younger student.

"I just wanted to talk about what happened in the Entrance Hall" Harry said. "You didn't have to do that, but I still wanted to say thanks."

"I did it more for me than you" Cassius said. "Everyone kept complaining and it was bloody annoying. Besides, them making such a fuss about a stupid article written by a terrible journalist was them basically saying that they didn't believe my skill would speak for itself."

"So, you weren't angry that Skeeter made the entire article about me?" Harry asked.

"I was a little pissed off at first, but just brushed it off" Cassius replied. "And you're Harry Potter, obviously majority of the papers are going to focus on you. Besides, a lion doesn't pay attention to the opinion of sheep."

"A lion, eh? Is that your inner Gryffindor talking?" Harry asked with a small smile.

"Stuff it, Potter" Cassius said, but he was smirking. "You know what I mean. Skeeter likes to write her opinion on lots of things, doesn't mean she's personally skilled or knowledgeable at what she's talking about."

Harry nodded and thanked Cassius again just as the judges, Professors Moody, McGonagall and Snape entered the tent. The task was explained to them, though Ludo, Barty and Professor Dumbledore seemed like they weren't surprised by the champions not looking surprised when they revealed they were facing dragons. They then gathered around Barty, who was holding a bag and they were each to draw a miniature copy of the dragon they would face. Fleur drew first and brought out a Common Welsh Green with a tag wrapped around its neck with the number 2 on it. Cassius was next to draw his dragon, and he brought out a Swedish Short-snout with the number 1. Viktor drew the Chinese Fireball with the number 3, which left Harry with the Hungarian Horntail and the number four.

"The number you drew along with your dragons indicates what order you will tackle this task" Barty explained. "So Mr. Warrington will be first, followed by Miss Delacour, then Mr. Krum, and Mr. Potter last. Good luck to you all, and exit the tent when Ludo announces your name. Your time will start as soon as you step into the arena."

The judges and professors left the tent, leaving the champions with their mini-dragons. The four looked at each other, wishing each other luck before going back to their original places.

* * *

"When will this thing start?" Pansy asked in an annoyed tone.

"At least you have a better seat" Theo said behind her, sitting in between Millicent Bulstrode and Vincent Crabbe.

"Let's just be thankful we got seats as far away from the Gryffindors as possible" Daphne stated.

The stands where the students and professors were sitting on were arranged with Slytherin at one end, followed by Durmstrang, then Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Beauxbatons, and Gryffindor on the other end.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first task of the Triwizard tournament" they heard Ludo's voice say and the crowd began cheering. "As most of you know, bravery in the face of in the unknown is an essential skill for any witch or wizard, so none of the champions knew what they were facing today up until five minutes ago. And what they will be facing soon are possibly one of the most dangerous creatures in the entire wizarding world. We are, of course, talking about...dragons!"

The crowd began cheering again, but there were some worried whispers now, even the Slytherins.

"They didn't tell any of the champions they were facing dragons?" Blaise, who was seated next to Draco, asked. "I thought they made this tournament safer."

"Well, it wouldn't be exciting if they made the champions face redcaps" Joseph stated, who was seated at the end of the front row.

"Now, we have four fierce dragons, and our champions have drawn to see what order they are going and which dragon will be their opponent" Ludo continued. "Their goal is to retrieve a golden egg from a nest filled with other real eggs that have been transfigured into a similar shape and size. At the end, my fellow judges and I can award our champions ten points each. We will be judging them based on the speed at which they retrieved their eggs, the methods they used, whether or not they were hurt, and if any of the real eggs were damaged.

"I know some of you might be worried, and with good reason" Ludo said. "But have no fear, the dragons will be chained to the ground so they cannot fly too high, and we have a team of the best dragon tamers from Romania at the ready should anything go awry.

"We will begin with a dragon species that prefers to live in wild, uninhabited areas. Since it has rarely come into contact with humans, it has less deaths to its name than other dragon species, but don't let that fool you. It is one of the most dangerous species of dragon, as it is an agile flyer and it's beautiful blue flame is hot enough to reduce timber and bone to ash within seconds. It is a...Swedish Short-snout."

The dragon tamers brought out a large beast, about 22 feet long, with silver-blue scales and when it breathed small blue flames, everyone could feel the temperature rise quickly. The dragon tamers attached the chain to the ground and moved away quickly.

" I'm sure you're wondering who has to face this magnificent beast" Ludo said. "It is none other than Slytherin's own Cassius Warrington."

Most of the crowd applauded, with cheers coming from the Slytherins and heckles coming from mostly Gryffindor. Cassius looked hesitant as he walked into the arena, but his usual cocky look returned quickly. The Swedish Short-snout spotted Cassius and drew its head back before blasting a jet of blue flames at the Slytherin champion, making students gasp and even scream. When the flame cleared, Cassius was nowhere to be found, even the judges looked worried..

"Alright, pay up" Blaise said. "I told you guys Warrington wouldn't last ten minutes."

"Not so fast Blaise" Joseph said before pointing at a rock behind a huge boulder that was being transfigured into something. Once it was done, it looked like a rough sculpture of a human. Joseph pointed to another rock that was being transfigured into the same thing behind another boulder that was big enough to hide it.

"But where's Warrington?" Pansy asked.

"He must've cast an invisibility spell" Joseph said. "The spell creates a field and everything in it becomes invisible."

"Why not just use a disillusionment charm?" Theo asked. "That way, he could move around."

"Because the disillusionment charm causes the caster to look like what he was standing in front of" Daphne replied. "It provides camouflage, and a person can still be spotted if someone has sharp enough eyes. Only the most powerful wizards can cast that spell and make it seem like they were completely invisible."

"Wherever Cassius is, he better move quickly before the dragon gets a lock on his scent" Draco stated.

The other stone was finished being transfigured into another rough statue of a human, and Cassius undid his invisibility spell, revealing himself hiding being a large boulder close to the champions' entrance, half of which was blackened thanks to the dragon's flame.

"He was hit by the fire" Pansy said, and she was right; the lower half of Cassius's left pant leg was gone and there was a severe looking burn mark on the Slytherin's leg.

Despite that, Cassius still looked confident and with a wave of his wand, the two stone statues began running around each of the dragon's sides. The Swedish Short-snout roared, choosing to focus on the statue on its left. Once Cassius was out of the dragon's line of sight, he made a dash for the nest, and everyone began cheering louder. The dragon had taken care of the stone statue ot focused on, and turned its attention to Cassius. It roared and swung its tail at Cassius, making several students scream again. But with a wave of his wand, the other statue jumped and took the blow, crumbling into small pieces when it collided with the wall. As soon as he was close enough, Cassius lunged at the nest and grabbed the egg, smashing one real egg in the process.

"Cassius Warrington has retrieved his egg!" Ludo announced and cheers erupted from the students. Even some Gryffindors applauded.

The dragon tamers rushed in, and lead the Swedish Short-snout away. Cassius was breathing heavily, his left leg was in pain, the rest of his body ached, but he didn't care. He felt amazing as he saw the other students cheer for him, he then faced the Slytherin section of the stands and with a wide smile, raised the golden egg, earning louder cheers from his housemates.

* * *

"That was pretty impressive" Damian admitted.

"I can't believe the judges didn't tell them they were facing dragons" Cho said. "That thing nearly killed Cassius. Now I'm worried about Harry."

"Hey, Harry's going to be just fine" Damian said before looking at Cedric, who hadn't said a word since Cassius walked into the arena.

Cedric noticed the Slytherin's hesitation when he stepped into the arena, and said that he was scared. And who wouldn't be? These were students, they weren't trained professionals, they hadn't dealt with dangerous beasts without teachers there.

' _Harry, please be alright'_ Cedric said to himself, hoping to Merlin, Hufflepuff and every other magical being that ever is or was that his boyfriend would be safe.

After being treated by Madame Pomfrey, Cassius went to receive his points, and was awarded 37 in total. The first task continued with the next champion being Fleur Delacour who was facing a Common Welsh Green. She impressed everyone when she enchanted the dragon to fall asleep, but as she retrieved her egg, the dragon snored and shot a narrow jet of flame, which set her skirt on fire. She received 36 points. Next was the Chinese Fireball, being taken on by Viktor Krum. Viktor cast a Conjunctivitis curse, which blinded the dragon, but caused it to flail and smash half the real eggs. Viktor went to get his scores and the first four judges had awarded him a total of 30 points, docking points mostly because half the nest of was crushed before Viktor completed his task.

"That's what you get when you don't think things through" Cho remarked

Suddenly, Karkaroff raised his wand to give Viktor his score, giving the Durmstrang champion a perfect 10.

"That's a load of shite!" Damian exclaimed, Cho and Cedric trying to calm him down. "He's clearly favoring Krum. Even Professor Dumbledore and Madame Maxime gave their students fair scores."

"That's why two judges are from the ministry" Cho said. "To, supposedly, balance things out."

"Balanced? Krum just became first when he clearly doesn't deserve to be" Damian stated.

While Cedric agreed at how unfair it was that Krum got a perfect score from his headmaster, Krum himself didn't look too happy when he did.

"We've now seen three of our four champions face their dragons, and come out victorious" Ludo spoke, his voice amplified by the Sonorous charm. "But we still have one dragon left, and I daresay it's the fiercest of the bunch."

"Harry's going to be fine, Ced" Cho reassured the Hufflepuff, squeezing his hand comfortingly.

"The last dragon is known to be one of the most vicious and aggressive, especially when it comes to protecting their young" Ludo continued, making Cedric more worried. "Along with shooting jets of extremely hot flames that could reach 50 feet, this dragon uses its tail spikes and when in flight, it can keep up with a Firebolt, which we know can go from 0 to 150 miles per hour in 10 seconds. It is...the Hungarian Horntail."

The dragon tamers brought out the dragon, chaining it close to the nest before rushing out of the arena. The Hungarian Horntail had a lizard-like appearance, black scales, and yellow cat-like eyes. It had bronze horns and the spikes on its tail was similarly coloured, and its roar was a yowling, screeching sound.

"Facing this beast is our final champion" Ludo announced. "It's Gryffindor's own Harry Potter!"

As with Cassius, most of the students applauded, with the loudest cheers coming from Harry's own house and some heckles coming from the rival house. As much as Cedric wanted to cheer for Harry, who couldn't help but just stare fearfully. Cassius and Fleur were older and knew more spells than Harry, and even they didn't finish the task unscathed. Harry then pointed his wand in the air, casting Accio, and everyone watching began looking to see what had happened.

' _Please work, please work, please work'_ Cedric kept repeating in his head until he, and everyone else, heard a distinct whistling sound, and saw Harry's Firebolt speeding through the air, and Cedric felt a little relieved.

The broom stopped next to Harry and even the Gryffindor looked surprised that the plan actually worked. After getting a hold of himself, Harry got onto the broom and took off. Harry saw that the Horntail didn't follow him, but was eying him suspiciously with its yellow eyes. Harry then looked at this entire thing as a Quidditch match with the egg being the snitch and the Horntail being the entire enemy team, including bludgers. Strangely enough, this thought made him calmer and he sped towards the dragon.

"What's he doing?" Damian asked after a minute of Harry flying closer and farther from the dragon.

"He's trying to get the dragon to take off and follow him" Cho said. "If Harry can get the Horntail far enough, he can dive and grab the egg without being hit by its tail or flame."

Just as Cho finished her sentence, one of the spikes on the dragon's tail made contact with Harry's shoulder, and the Ravenclaw felt Cedric's grip on her hand tighten.

"Come on Harry, you can do it" Cedric said under his breath, keeping his eyes locked onto his boyfriend.

Harry flew back a bit to recover and assess the situation. After a minute, Harry flew around the Horntail, but closer than he did before. Cedric was worried Harry would get hit by the dragon's tail again but after a few minutes, the dragon began taking off and it chased Harry. Harry flew up until the dragon was high enough before diving and flying as fast as he could. Before the Horntail could react, Harry had gotten his egg. It took a few seconds to register, but a huge wave of relief washed over Cedric. He stood with a wide smile, cheering nearly as loudly as the Gryffindors.

"Can you believe it ladies and gentlemen?" Ludo announced. "Harry Potter, the youngest champion, retrieved his egg the fastest."

"Ced, where are you going?" Damian asked when he noticed the other brunette leaving.

"I'm going to Harry" Cedric replied and left before either of his friends could stop him.

Cedric watched as Harry descended onto a platform where Professors McGonagall, Moody and Hagrid were waiting and rushed towards it.

"You better see Madame Pomfrey immediately about that shoulder, Potter" Minerva said, and Harry nodded before seeing Cedric approaching.

"Hey Ced, did you see all-" Harry began excitedly telling Cedric about what he had just done, but was cut off when the Hufflepuff wrapped his arms around him tightly, and pulled him into a deep kiss.

"I was so bloody worried throughout the entire thing" Cedric said when he pulled away and pressed his forehead against Harry's.

"Sorry about that" Harry said with a huge blush. "At least now we won't have to worry about how to tell the rest of the school we're dating."

Cedric looked confused before remembering where he was, and turned to see that for the first time that day, the entire arena was silent. The silence was broken by McGonagall clearing her throat. Cedric didn't know what he should be more embarrassed about; that he let the whole school know by nearly snogging with Harry in front of all them, or that he nearly snogged with Harry right in front of McGonagall, Moody and Hagrid.

"Well, why don't you escort Potter to the medical tent, Mr. Diggory?" McGonagall suggested, to which Cedric nodded immediately, taking Harry's hand and dragging him off.

"Let's give the Gryffindor champion another round of applause, ladies and gentlemen" Ludo announced and mostly everyone did due to the shock.

* * *

"Sorry I just blew our secret just like that" Cedric said as he and Harry entered the medical tent.

"It's alright" Harry said. "I mean, people were going to find out eventually."

"Dragons, honestly. What's next? Having actual inferi?" Madame Pomfrey angrily muttered as she approached the students. "Come sit Potter. Diggory, you don't have to leave, just stand by that curtain and don't make noise."

The two teens nodded and followed orders, keeping quiet as the mediwitch treated Harry's wound while continuing to mutter about the blatant disregard for safety that's been going on.

"Sit and rest for a while before going to get your scores Potter" Madame Pomfrey said before leaving.

"Remind me never to get on her bad side" Harry said.

"Don't see how that's possible, since you're always the one she's treating when something goes wrong" Cedric said with a smile as he sat next to Harry. "How's your shoulder?"

"It still hurts a little, but it'll be good as new tomorrow morning" Harry said.

Cedric then pulled Harry into a gentle hug, burying his face in the shorter teen's hair.

"I was so scared" Cedric said softly. "I probably would've done something when you got hit in the shoulder if Cho and Dames weren't holding my hands."

"I probably would have too, if our positions were switched" Harry admitted.

"But I'm glad I wasn't able to" Cedric said and looked down to stare into Harry's eyes. "Cause I was able to watch you handle that situation on your own, and you did it brilliantly."

"Thanks Ced" Harry said with a smile

The two shared a short kiss, and it was only short because they heard footsteps approaching and they had to pull away.

"Harry, the judges are ready to give you your scores" Hermione said as she and Ron arrived. "You can take Cedric with you."

"I think I've embarrassed us enough for one day" Cedric said before whispering to Harry. "Take Ron with you."

"Ron, wanna come with me?" Harry asked, surprising the redhead before he smiled and nodded.

"That was nice of you" Hermione said as she left the tent with Cedric. "How were you sure that they'd make up?"

"After watching his best friend nearly die, and after being reminded what nearly dying felt like" Cedric began. "I'm sure Ron and Harry realised how stupid their fight was, and how life's too short to hold onto anger."

Hermione nodded and she went to rejoin the other Gryffindors and Cedric returned to his seat in between Cho and Damien, ignoring the playful teasing and questions from his schoolmates.

"Didn't expect you tell the entire school like that" Damian said.

"Neither did I" Cedric said with a sigh. "But that's how it happened."

"Is Harry okay?" Cho asked.

"Yeah, Madame Pomfrey treated his shoulder and it'll be better by tomorrow morning" Cedric said. "Here they come."

Harry walked alongside Ron and stopped in front of the judges. Harry received an eight from Madame Maxime, followed by nines given by Barty Crouch and Professor Dumbledore, and Ludo gave the Gryffindor a perfect ten.

"Why did Bagman give Harry a ten?" Cedric asked. "He was hit in the shoulder."

"Maybe because he got the egg the fastest" Cho suggested. "Or that he liked the fact that Harry tried to out-fly one of the fastest dragons."

"Who cares why he did it?" Damian asked. " Harry's tied with Fleur."

All eyes were now on Karkaroff, who pointed his wand up and awarded Harry four points.

"That's a load of bull!" Cedric yelled, surprising everyone around him, but he wasn't the only complaining. All the Gryffindors were angry too.

"Don't worry about it Ced" Cho said as she tried to calm her friend down. "Harry's tied for first now."

"Harry should be first" Damian pointed out. "Karkaroff has as much integrity as Lockhart. At least he doesn't try to hide the fact that he's an arse."

"Well, that doesn't matter" Cho said. "Harry will do just as well in the next task, then he'll be in first. And there won't be anything Karkaroff can do then."

Cedric nodded and stood after Ludo announced that the next task would be held on the 24th of February. He, Cho and Damian met up with Harry, Ron and Hermione, and all six of them headed for the castle together, ignoring Skeeter when she tried to ask Harry and Cedric questions.

"Congrats Harry, you were awesome" Damian said with a smile.

"You really were" Cho added. "I didn't think anyone would try to out-fly a dragon, much less a Hungarian Horntail."

"Thanks guys" Harry said with a smile. "We're having a party in the Gryffindor common room later. You guys are welcome to come."

"How do you know we're not going to the Slytherin party?" Cedric teased with a smirk. "I mean, they'll probably have more money to spend on food and drinks."

"I think you've ruined any chance of us being invited to any Slytherin party by snogging with their champion's rival" Damian pointed out, making everyone chuckle.

"See you guys later" Cedric said when they all arrived back at the castle. "Before I forget."

He then wrapped an arm around Harry's waist and pulled the shorter teen into a kiss in the middle of the hall, pulling away with a huge smile.

"I'm so happy I can do that whenever I want now" Cedric said.

"Me too" Harry returned.

The two shared another quick kiss before the group of friends headed for their respective dorms.

* * *

That night, the Slytherins were also celebrating Cassius's victory. Even though he wasn't first, it was still impressive that he took on a dragon and survived. Some of his housemates even had some of their favourite caterers owl food and drink by the end of dinner. As Cassius talked to the people around him, Draco and his friends were on some seats in the corner.

"Who would've thought it?" Blaise said. "Warrington beat a dragon."

"He, technically, tricked and outmaneuvered it" Joseph pointed out, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"But the biggest surprise was that Diggory and Potter are together" Pansy said. "Who would've thought it?"

"Joseph, you're the one who keeps observing people" Daphne stated. "Didn't you ever notice something going on between them?"

"Just because I observe people doesn't mean I observe all of them" Joseph replied. "I did see them together in the library a couple of times, but I just thought Diggory was tutoring Potter."

The other Slytherins suddenly began cheering, the Draco's group turned to see Cassius had brought out the golden egg. Then their housemates began chanting for Cassius to open it. The champion grabbed the knob-like contraption at the top of it, twisted it, the egg opened and let out an unbearable screeching noise, making several students drop whatever they were holding to cover their ears.

"What in Salazar's name was that?" one fifth-year asked when Cassius shut the egg again.

"Could it be some sort of magical creature?" one of Cassius's friends suggested. "One that lays eggs to reproduce?"

"Yeah, that narrows it down" Cassius said sarcastically before shaking his head and apologising. "Look, I'll start solving this thing tomorrow. Tonight we celebrate!"

Everyone cheered, returned to eating, drinking, conversing and the happy mood quickly returned.

"You'd think we'd be used to horrible screeching noises after being friends with Pansy for so long" Draco remarked, making Pansy smack his arm and his other friends chuckle.

Draco stayed another half an hour before heading to his dorm. He went to take a quick a shower and when he returned, he found Joseph sitting on his bed.

"Hey" Draco said as he approached.

"Hey" Joseph said back. "Can we talk?"

"Sure" Draco said with a nod and sat next to his friend.

"I know Blaise told you I was speaking to a muggleborn" Joseph stated.

"Did he tell you?" Draco asked.

"No, I heard you guys" Joseph said. "I also heard what you said after Blaise brought up how you handled our relationship."

"I do regret it, you know" Draco said after a minute of silence.

"I know" Joseph said with a nod. "I'm not happy with how you handled things either, but that's how it played out. All we can do is move forward."

Draco nodded and silence returned. He hated how he couldn't talk as easily as he could before with his friend.

"I do appreciate hearing you say you'd never give me or my parents up" Joseph said.

"Of course, you and your parents have been nothing but wonderful to me" Draco said. "I'd never forgive myself if I ever put you in harm's way."

"Thank you Draco" Joseph said as he gently took Draco's hand. "I'd never betray you either, no matter what happens."

"I know" the blonde said with a nod as lightly squeezed Joseph's hand back. "That's the kind of friend you are."

Joseph nodded and gave Draco's hand one last squeeze before he stood up.

"You're heading back out there?" Draco asked and Joseph nodded. "I thought you hated parties."

"I do, but someone's gotta keep Blaise from getting his hands on some alcohol" Joseph replied making the two of them smile. "Good night, Draco."

* * *

 **AN: I know I promised some scenes with Harry, Cedric and their kid, but I didn't want the chapter to get too long. I promise in the next chapter, it will mostly focus on them. Thank you to everyone who answered the question from the last chapter. I've taken all your feedback into account. Thank you guys for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter** **.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter** **8**

"I'm back" Cedric announced when he stepped out of the floo.

"We're in the kitchen, Ced" Andrea called back.

"Hey mum. How was James this morning?" Cedric asked as he set down some food containers on the counter.

"Had a little trouble when he didn't want to get out of the tub" Andrea said. "But he quickly changed his mind when I made those Quidditch figurines you bought fly."

"I guess we have another Quidditch in the family" Cedric said with a chuckle and kissed James on the head.

"How did telling your coach and team captain that you had to take a leave go?" Andrea asked. "You look relatively unharmed, so Oliver either took it well or had a heart attack."

"Oliver needed some more convincing than coach, but he's Harry's friend too, so he knows how much danger Harry gets into" Cedric said with a smile. "And he finally calmed down when I agreed to come in two days a week to help train the other seekers."

"Well, with Harry being in St. Mungo's for the rest of the month at least, I think you made the right decision" Andrea stated. "What are your plans for the day?"

"James and I are going to bring Harry lunch" Cedric replied.

"That's sweet, but did you have to settle for take away?" Andrea asked as she looked over the food containers. "I think Harry would really appreciate a home-cooked meal."

"Firstly, take away is fine once in a while" Cedric said. "Secondly, Harry is getting a home-cooked meal. He just won't know it was cooked by Damian."

"I've lost count of how many times he's saved your hide" Andrea said with a smile.

"Hey, Harry's needed saving lots of times too" Cedric returned.

"Yes, but in your case, you keep forgetting things for your dates" Andrea retorted. "In Harry's case, it's because some dark wizards are firing jinxes and curses at him."

"Let's just agree that both of those situations have very high stakes" Cedric said with a smile

The two adults shared a chuckle before Cedric began packing the food into a picnic basket while Andrea brought James upstairs to give him a bath, returning a few minutes later with her grandson and the baby bag.

"I thought you were just bringing Harry lunch" Andrea said. "Do you really think Joseph will let Harry leave St. Mungo's?"

"Harry can still walk, and it's not like he has some life-threatening disease" Cedric replied, shrinking the picnic basket before placing it in the baby bag. "If I can't, then I still have our secret weapon."

Cedric took James, and started bouncing him up and down, making his son laugh. The two boys gave Andrea a kiss on the cheek and flooed to St. Mungo's, smiling wide when they entered Harry's room.

"How are my two favorite men?" Harry asked with a smile.

"This one gave his grandma a little trouble during bath time" Cedric replied as he handed James to Harry, giving his husband a kiss before turning to Joseph. "How are things here."

"Progress is slow, but any progress is good" Joseph replied. "Harry was able to recall events until the end of the first task."

"So I remember how the school found out we were a couple" Harry said with a smirk, and Cedric blushed. "It's fine Ced. I probably would've done the same thing, had our positions been reversed."

"Well, I'll leave so you three can have lunch together already" Joseph said.

"Before you go, I was wondering if Harry, James and I could have lunch in the park" Cedric said, and got the expected response; a blank stare.

"That sounds really great" Harry said with a small smile.

"You really want to bring Harry out of here while he's still recovering?" Joseph asked.

"It's not like he's severely injured or dying" Cedric replied. "And I think Harry deserves some time outside."

"Even if Harry's not sick or injured, it's still risky for him to leave" Joseph returned. "What if you guys run into a ministry official or a reporter?"

"Then I'll deal with it" Cedric said. "Besides, won't it improve Harry's mood to go out with his family? Perhaps he'll have an easier time recalling memories if he's happy."

"Pwease, Uncle Joseph" Harry said in a makeshift baby voice while lifting up James.

"You'd have a lot more sway over me if you were my godchild" Joseph said when he bent over to be at eye-level with the youngest Potter.

James, having no idea of what was going on, merely laughed and took Joseph's glasses. Harry retrieved the taller raven's glasses, replacing it with James's favorite rattle.

"Sorry about that" Harry apologised as he handed the glasses back to his friend.

"You'd think he'd learn not to snatch glasses off of people's faces with you as his parent" Joseph said as he wiped the lenses.

"I've just learned to dodge him" Harry said with a chuckle.

"Well, not everyone has your reflexes" Joseph said. "I still have some reservations about Harry leaving St. Mungo's, but I will allow it if you have two aurors accompany you."

Cedric looked at Harry, who nodded, and told Joseph they were okay with it.

"I'll firecall Kingsley" Joseph said before he left.

"That went better than expected" Cedric said as he sat next to Harry's bed.

"What would you have done if Joseph said no?" Harry asked.

"I expected that I wouldn't be able to convince Joseph" Cedric replied. "But I knew he wouldn't be able to say no to James."

"Well, who could say no to our angel?" Harry asked as he kissed James's head.

"The aurors are here" Joseph said when he returned. "I want Harry back by three."

"We'll be back by then" Harry said as he handed James to Cedric, and entered the bathroom to change into a pair of skinny jeans and a red shirt. He then left the bathroom, picked up the baby bag, and after getting several warnings again from Joseph, Harry, Cedric and James left St. Mungo's.

"It's good to be out of there" Harry said with a smile as he and Cedric began walking towards the park. The aurors were keeping their distance to give the family privacy, which Harry appreciated. They arrived at their usual spot and in no time at all, Cedric had set everything up.

"So, what's for lunch?" Harry asked.

"For us, fish and chips, and mango pudding for dessert" Cedric said as he removed the lids from the food containers. "And for James, a cheese sandwich and mixed berries."

"It all smells lovely" Harry said with a smile. "Someone worked really hard this morning."

"I'll tell Damien you appreciated his work" Cedric said with a chuckle. "I would've cooked, but I had to talk to coach and Oliver this morning."

"About what?" Harry asked.

"I told them that I'd be taking a leave if absence for a while" Cedric replied and Harry looked surprised.

"But the new season is starting soon" Harry stated. "Why are you doing this now?"

"We don't know how long it will take you to recover your memories" Cedric said. "You're going to be in St. Mungo's for the rest of the month, and that's me being optimistic. I want to be home taking care of James."

"Still, you shouldn't put your dream of being the best seeker on hold just because of me" Harry said before Cedric wrapped an arm around him.

"I have plenty of dreams, but the most important one is making sure that my family is happy and taken care of" Cedric said.

Harry smiled and looked up at his husband, pressing a kiss onto the brunette's lips.

"Love you" Harry said.

"Love you too" Cedric returned with his own smile. "Now lets eat before the food gets cold."

As they ate, Harry and Cedric mostly talked about what Cedric and James could do while Harry was at St. Mungo's. As they talked, the things that had been bothering Cedric since he heard Harry lost his memories had come back. He wanted to talk about it, but he didn't want to ruin the lovely time they were having.

"Ced, what's wrong?" Harry asked.

"What?" Cedric asked back.

"You've been quiet for a few minutes now" Harry pointed out.

"There's just been something on my mind" Cedric said. "I don't want to ruin our outing."

"Hey, we're here for each other through everything, good and bad' Harry said. "Please tell me."

"Alright" Cedric said and took in a deep breath. "After getting home and James was in bed, I started thinking about how much you've forgotten, and it made me wonder...if you forgot that we were married."

"I did" Harry replied softly.

"That's unfortunate, but it's alright" Cedric said.

"No it's not" Harry said as he shook his head, sniffling a bit.

"Harry, it is. You had no control over what memories you lost" The brunette said as he pulled Harry into a tight hug. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's not your fault" Harry said. "When you came in and Joseph told me we were married, I was confused, but really happy. And then you came back with James, I was ecstatic. But then, I started to feel guilty because I couldn't remember anything; birthdays, holidays, not even our wedding."

"I know it seems bad, but you'll recover all your memories soon enough" Cedric said. "You've faced worse things before and succeeded, and you'll do it again."

Harry nodded and leaned back against his husband, calming down slowly as Cedric held him tightly and James played with his toys on Harry's lap.

"Tell me about how things were when I was pregnant" Harry said.

"Would that be alright?" Cedric asked. "Joseph is helping you with your memories from your fourth year."

"He didn't say anything about needing to recover memories in a specific order" Harry said. "And I'm not asking for any specific memories. I just want to know how I was."

"Well, you were amazing" Cedric said with a smile and kissed Harry's head. "Ever since you became an auror, that was what majority of your time was focused on; catching dark wizards, making things safe for everyone. You only took breaks from work when it was mandatory."

"I'm sure that's not true" Harry said with a slight blush.

"When you get those memories back, you'll see for yourself" Cedric said with a chuckle. "But when we found out you were pregnant, you immediately took a leave, and your whole world was all about our baby. You were extremely careful about everything. And you were so loving, even more so than normal. Everything you did, the first thought in your head was 'would this be bad for the baby.' And at the end, we were gifted with a healthy, beautiful baby boy."

Harry smiled and for a few minutes, the two of them just enjoyed the peace and quiet of the afternoon, the only sound being James laughing as he played.

"Thank you" Harry said. "I expect we've been through a lot, so thank you for everything."

"I love you Harry" Cedric said. "And if given the choice, I'd gladly go through everything again if it meant having you and James in my life."

The two shared a kiss, pulling away only when James began wanting attention. They spent the rest of their time playing with James, and as they headed back to St. Mungo's, Harry couldn't wait until he recovered all his memories and got out so he could make more with his family.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** **I thought I'd give you guys some more specific details on Joseph and Damian since they are going to be a big part of the story. Joseph has been a part of this series since the first chapter of the first fic, and you guys still don't know some specific details about him.**

 **Joseph Duskgem**

 **Blood Status: Pureblood**

 **Birthday: July 15, 1980**

 **Complexion: Slightly pale**

 **Hairstyle: Short black hair combed neatly to one side.**

 **Eye Colour: Amber**

 **Height: 5'11''**

 **Weight: 150 lbs.**

 **Favourite Subjects: Potions, Ancient Runes**

 **Least Favourite Subject: Divination**

 **Other: Wears silver, rectangular glasses.**

* * *

 **Damian Clark**

 **Blood Status: Muggleborn**

 **Birthday: February 3, 1978**

 **Complexion: Fair, tanned**

 **Hairstyle: Medium length, chocolate brown, spiked**

 **Eye Colour: Hazel**

 **Height: 6'1''**

 **Weight: 175 lbs.**

 **Favourite Subjects: Charms, Flying**

 **Least Favourite Subject: Muggle Studies (when he wasn't teaching)**

 **Other: TBA (Can't give away everything just yet)**

 **Also, I will be using Daniel Radcliffe's and Robert Pattinson's heights for Cedric and Harry in this fic. So Harry is** **5'5'' and Cedric is 6'1'', as opposed to Harry being 5'9'' and Cedric being 5'11'' (book heights). While they'd still be cute, it's much cuter when Harry has to stand on his toes to kiss Cedric. Alright that's enough babbling. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Harry and Cedric returned to St. Mungo's exactly at three, just as they promised. Harry had such an amazing time out with his family, he was going to ask Joseph if there was anything he could do to speed up the process. But when they returned to Harry's room, Joseph had surprising news.

"We're not going to try to recover memories for the rest of the day?" Harry asked the taller raven as he got back into the bed.

"I'm sorry, but there's an emergency that I have to take care of at home" Joseph replied. "I'll be back first thing tomorrow to make up for lost time."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Cedric asked.

"No, it's a family matter" Joseph said. "But you could stay with Harry until visiting hours are over."

"I can do that" Cedric said with a smile. "I'll just drop off James at home and come back."

"Alright" Harry said before looking at James. "Don't give your grandparents too much trouble, okay?"

James laughed and tried to grab Harry's glasses, but his papa's reflexes were too quick. Harry then gave James a kiss on the head and a tight hug before handing him to Cedric. The brunette promised to be back soon, gave Harry a quick kiss and left.

"So, what's the real reason you have to leave?" Harry asked Joseph.

"How do you know that that wasn't the real reason?" Joseph asked back.

"Just a hunch" Harry said.

"Auror's instincts, I guess. And you're hunch was right" Joseph said with a sigh. "Apparently my memories aren't quite as similar to my original ones as I thought."

* * *

 _ **Earlier…**_

"Andrew, please tell me when Mr. Potter returns" Joseph told the mediwizard he was walking with. "And check on Mrs. Lewis to see if she still starts floating every five minutes."

"Of course sir" the younger male said with a nod.

Joseph dismissed his subordinate and entered his office. He sat at his desk and looked at the pile of paperwork in front of him. He checked the time and decided to finish most of the papers now, and get some fish and chips later before Harry got back. It was about half an hour later when someone knocked, and Andrew opened the door.

"Mr. Damian Clark is here to see you, sir" the mediwizard said.

"Does he have a scheduled appointment?" Joseph asked, and Andrew shook his head. "Well, send him in anyway."

Andrew nodded and left, while Joseph finished up the paper he was working on.

"Hey Joseph" Damian greeted with a smile as he entered the raven's office.

"Hello" Joseph greeted with a nod. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Why would there be something wrong?" Damian asked.

"Well, I'm a healer, this is a hospital and you came to see me without making an appointment beforehand" Joseph explained. "The most logical conclusion would be that there's something wrong or that you're worried about and want it checked out."

"And here when I thought you've made progress with handling emotions, you revert back to your old programming" Damian said jokingly. "That would be the most logical conclusion, but do friends really need a reason to visit each other?"

"No they don't" Joseph said with a faint blush. "I apologise, things have just been hectic here."

"It's alright, you don't have to apologise" Damian said. "And I guessed things were hectic here since you haven't been home in two days."

"Home?" Joseph asked with a confused look.

"Yes, home. The place people go to after a day of work to relax and spend time with friends and family" Damian said. "Contrary to what you believe, there's more to life than work."

" _Damian and I are living together?"_ Joseph asked himself, along with several other questions. "I know, but Harry's situation is serious."

"Ced told me it wasn't that bad" Damian said, slightly frowning. "What's going on with Harry?"

"Do you know why I was asked to come into the ministry two days ago?"

"To help with solving a case about counterfeit potions."

"Well long story short, we caught the guy, he resisted arrest, a spell misfired and hit a bag full of his poorly made potions, Harry pushed me away and got caught in the blast, and he's forgotten his memories since our fourth year."

"Seriously? Is he going to be alright?"

"He's fine, and he's already recalled about one third of our fourth year. If we keep going at this pace, he'll have all his memories the first week of next month."

"That's good. I guess it doesn't hurt to have one of the best healers around" Damian said with a soft smile.

"Thanks, but I still have a long way to go before I'm at the same level as my father" Joseph said, turning away slightly to hide his blush.

"Still don't know how to take a compliment?" Damian asked and grabbed the slightly shorter male's hand. "Joseph, you've just been a healer for a little over four years and you're already one of the more well-known healers. And in your three years of training as a mediwizard, every department head in St. Mungo's wanted you to join their department once you became a healer. You should stop measuring your success based on what your father or other people have accomplished, because you are an amazing healer."

Joseph was a little surprised at Damian's actions and the intensity in his eyes. But what surprised the healer more was that Damian holding his hand didn't feel foreign, meaning that this has happened enough times for Joseph to get used to it. Damian holding his hand felt comfortable, even.

"Thank you, Damian" Joseph said with a small smile. "I guess I still, in some way, subconsciously want to meet my parents' impossible standards."

"Well, I'm always here to remind you how amazing you are" Damian returned with a wide smile. "But even if you're amazing, you're not invincible. You still need to come home and rest. Weren't you the one who told me that _you need to take care of yourself before you take care of others?_ "

"You're right, overworking myself will do no one good. I'll be home later after talking to Harry."

"Alright then. Judging by the pile of paperwork, I assume you haven't had lunch yet."

"I was going to get some fish and chips from that place a block away."

"And I'm going to assume that's what you had for lunch yesterday too."

"Not true. I had fish and chips from the place across the street yesterday."

"Come on, we're having lunch. I don't understand how someone whose job it is to take care of other people takes such poor care of himself."

"I'm hardly the only healer that's like this."

"So if other healers used dark magic to heal their patients, would you do it too? Didn't think so. Let's go."

* * *

 _ **Present...**_

"So you had no idea you and Damian were living together?" Harry asked

"None" Joseph replied. "I'm not even sure of the nature of our relationship.

"I can ask Cedric for you" Harry offered. "I'll say Damian stopped by, and I had forgotten you two were living together."

"If that was the case, then Damian or I would have told you" Joseph said with a sigh before looking thoughtfully out the enchanted windows. "I'm sure Damian and I are close. When he asked what was wrong with you, I immediately told him, despite me telling Cedric not to tell Hermione, Ron or the others. That basically means I have complete trust in him that he won't tell anyone. The question now is _how close are we?_ "

"Could it be possible that you and Damian are dating?" Harry cautiously suggested. "I mean, Draco's married to Astoria, and they have a son."

"I assumed that too at first, but that's not it" Joseph said. "There aren't any pictures of Damian or the two of us in my office. I may not be as affectionate as other people, but I would as least have one photo of my partner, especially if we're living together."

"You could've fooled me" Harry said with a smirk.

"And I don't know why, but I there's still a part of me that still loves Draco, even after everything he's done" Joseph said with a sigh. "Probably the insane part."

"It's okay, I understand" Harry said. "But Joseph if even in this reality Draco and Astoria are together, perhaps the best thing for you is to move on. You can try dating Damian or someone else. You might not love them as much as you love Draco, but wouldn't that be better than suffering in silence?"

"Perhaps" Joseph replied, staring silently out of the window for another minute before standing. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

With that, Joseph left. If there was one thing that Harry didn't think was better, it was definitely Joseph's relationship with Draco, and it made him feel slightly guilty. He went back in time and everything was great for him; Cedric was alive, they were married, and they had a son. Meanwhile, Joseph was still in a high pressure job, Draco still chose to give in to his father's wishes and married Astoria, and he's the godfather of their son.

"Hey, I brought our photo album from your fourth year. Maybe it'll help you recall some stuff" Cedric said excitedly, but frowned when he noticed Harry's mood. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried about Joseph" Harry said, leaning against Cedric when the brunette sat next to him. "I'm worried he's going to spend the rest of his life pining after Draco, even if the git doesn't deserve him or return his feelings."

"Draco has returned his feelings. He just decided that fulfilling his father's expectations was more important than his relationship with Joseph" Cedric said as he wrapped his arm around Harry. "And Joseph's the kind of person that when he falls in love, he falls hard. It'll take a while for him to get over Draco since they had a serious relationship for six years, if he even gets over Draco."

"If I ever start pressuring James or any of our other kids with stupid expectations, I want you to use every hex and curse you know on me" Harry said.

"I know you never will, but I'll promise it if you promise to do the same to me" Cedric said and Harry nodded. "So, you see us with more kids?"

"I love our family and wouldn't change anything about it" Harry began with a blush. "But I'm not opposed to having more kids."

"Neither am I" Cedric said with a smile. "How about we just let things happen naturally for the time being. If the time comes when we really want another child, then we can start regularly trying then."

Harry nodded, pressing a soft kiss to Cedric's cheek before they began going through the first few pages of their photo album.

* * *

Joseph stood in front of a two-floor house with a fairly large yard in a wealthy part of muggle London. Before leaving his office, he took half an hour to remember a couple things; he bought and moved into this house four years ago, about a couple of months after he and Draco broke up. To not make his neighbors suspicious on how he acquired the funds to afford living here, he bought a farm in the countryside and a restaurant in the city, and was an investor in a couple of other businesses. It worked out since a part of that farm which was warded so muggles wouldn't go near it was where Joseph grew some of the more common ingredients for his potions.

He also recalled that two years after moving in, Damian asked if he could stay with Joseph. Damian was the eldest among four children, and they only had their mother. Damian teaches Muggle Studies in Hogwarts and his mother worked as a server in a restaurant, and while they were paid well, it barely covered the costs for two adults and four teenagers. They lived in a two-bedroom flat, and it was quite tight fit, and with his sibling all being teenagers, there was a huge demand for privacy that couldn't be met. So to help make things easier, Damian moved out so his brothers could have more space, and his mother could spend less on food and toiletries.

Several of Damian's friends, including Cedric, Harry and Joseph, offered to help, be it by loaning him some money or offering him a better paying job, but Damian didn't want to take handouts. He wanted to earn every galleon, sickle and knut, and he knew that if he took his friends' job offers, he would've been overpaid. He also loved teaching Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. He loved seeing a student whose never had any exposure to the muggle world interact with a muggle invention. He still smiles everytime he recalls the day he showed some fourth-year students his cellphone, and how they all complained that they didn't have something like that.

So Joseph offered Damian a deal; he wouldn't have to pay rent if he did the household chores when he was there. Damian agreed since he was in Hogwarts majority of the year, and he was glad to help out Joseph. The younger male was always busy with work that he'd have to stay at St. Mungo's for several days straight at times. Besides, they couldn't use magic too much since they lived in a muggle neighborhood, and Joseph still wasn't adept at using a lot of the appliances that would make his life easier.

Bringing his mind back to Earth, Joseph entered the house and headed straight for his study. He needed to figure out what his relationship with Damian was before he did or said something inappropriate. Bookshelves filled with different tomes on healing magic, potions, and ingredients overed one wall while a display case that showcased all of his accolades pressed against the opposite wall. Joseph went to stand in front of the large portion of the wall next to the display case where there were several pictures of him with his friends and family. There were three pictures from his graduation; one of him with his parents, the next with his friends, and the last one was just of him and Draco. Joseph brushed off the feeling sadness he felt at seeing the last picture and continued looking. Joseph found that all of the pictures that he and Damian were together also included their friends, so Joseph deduced that while they were really close, he and the Hufflepuff were just friends.

Joseph went through the photos again, stopping at one where he and Draco were sitting together at a booth in Leaky Cauldron, surrounded by their friends, the blonde pressing a kiss to Joseph's cheek while smiling widely. Joseph recalled the memory and it was the year after they graduated Hogwarts, this was the day he began his training as a mediwizard in St. Mungo's. Joseph didn't drink as much as his friends since he had to be at work early the next morning, but he happily celebrated with them. Harry, Cedric and Damian even joined them later in the night.

The next photo he saw was of him, Draco, and several other students brewing potions in one of the greenhouses. Joseph, Draco, Harry and several other of their batchmates returned to finish their schooling after Hogwarts was rebuilt. Since there were few of them compared to the other years, they were all put in the same, temporary 8th year living quarters. Joseph and Draco decided to bring back and reform the Potions club. Back when Snape was in charge, the club was only open to students with a grade of Exceeds Expectations or higher. Having those standards and with Snape being Snape meant the club only had a couple of members, majority of them being from Slytherin.

When they brought back the club, Joseph and Draco opened it to everyone, from the students who wanted to become a potioneer or healer in the future to the ones that just wanted to get a better grade. Things took a while to take off since the club was being run by two former Death Eaters, but they eventually had to recruit they're other friends to help since they had so many members. Draco felt several emotions when he saw the full sign-up sheet; surprise, awe, disbelief, etc. But one emotion Joseph was sure Draco was feeling was happiness, and nothing made Joseph happier than seeing his boyfriend happy after everything they've been through.

' _Ex-boyfriend'_ he mentally reminded himself with a sigh. He stared at several other pictures, making the memories flood back into the raven's head, but also making the pain he was feeling worse. Joseph turned away and sat at his desk. ' _Why do I keep doing this to myself.'_

Joseph looked down at his desk, and found a picture that pushed him over the edge, making the tears fall; it was a picture of him sitting on a chair at St. Mugo's, carefully cradling and softly smiling at his sleeping godson, with Draco sitting on the chair next to him.

"Joseph" Damian called as he knocked on the door. "Dinner's ready."

"I'll be out soon" Joseph called back, trying to keep his voice from sounding like he had just been crying.

It clearly didn't work, since Damian opened the door and rushed over when he saw the shorter male.

"What's wrong?" Damian asked, his face full of concern as he knelt in front of Joseph.

"It's nothing, I'm fine" Joseph replied, turning his face away.

"Joseph, we've been friends for a decade now. That may not be as long as you've known Blaise, Theo or your other friends, but it's still a pretty long time" Damian said as he gently took Joseph's hands. "I know when something is bothering you. Besides, you rarely showing emotion makes it easy for me to tell when something is really wrong."

"When did you get so smart?" Joseph asked with a small smile.

"Well, you did help in making sure I didn't flunk my N.E.W.T. exams" Damian returned with a smile. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing...just some old wounds reopening" Joseph said as he glanced to the picture that made him cry.

Damian followed his gaze and saw the picture too, and pulled Joseph into a tight hug. Joseph hugged back just as tightly, resting his forehead on Damian's shoulder as he started crying again. The Hufflepuff comfortingly rubbed his friend's back, holding him tightly and whispered comforting words. Despite crying, being wrapped in Damian's arms made the Slytherin feel comfortable, safe, and loved.

"I'm sorry for crying all over you" Joseph apologised when he pulled away after a few minutes, wiping his tears away with a handkerchief.

"It's alright, that's what friends are for" Damian said with a smile. "But if I'm being honest, I don't understand why you're still friends with Draco, much less the godfather of his child."

"Since we're being honest, even I don't know why. It may very well be insanity" Joseph said, making Damian chuckle slightly. "And Scorp has done nothing wrong. I'm not going to associate him with the mistakes of his father. Besides, I'm not so cruel that I'd let his godfather be Blaise."

"Hey, Blaise is getting better; only two people tried to hex him this month for sleeping with their sister or brother" Damian stated with a chuckle.

"Can't wait to hear that story" Joseph said with a smile. "We should go eat before the food gets cold."

"Yeah, but before that, I just want you to know that Draco was a huge idiot and made a big mistake" Damian as he held Joseph's hand with one of his own and cupped his cheek with the other one. "You are so amazing, and so loving. Any other guy would be lucky to be the subject of your affections, I can say with complete assurance that they'll definitely treat you better than Draco."

Joseph amber eyes stared into Damian's hazel ones, and started to feel something he's only felt for two other people in his life. Damian cautiously inched his face closer to raven's, watching to see if Joseph didn't want this to happen. The brunette received no such indication, and his lips pressed softly against Joseph's. Damian began thinking this was a mistake when Joseph's lips hadn't moved the first few seconds, but the younger male began kissing back slowly. They pulled away a minute later, both blushing.

"I guess I can't hide the fact that I like you now" Damian said.

"For how long?" Joseph asked.

"About a year" Damian replied. "I didn't act on them since you were pretty hung up on Draco still."

"So, why now?" Joseph asked. "I mean, if just looking at pictures of my ex makes me cry, then I'd say I'm still pretty hung up on him."

"Because I can't stand seeing you like this anymore" Damian said. "Please give me a chance to show you what's it like to be with someone who loves you as much as you love them."

"I'd like to give you that chance Damian, but not yet" Joseph said. "If that kiss was any indication, I like you back. How much? I'm not sure. But I can't get into a relationship with you when I still have these feelings for Draco. I don't want to get into a relationship with you when I can't completely commit to it. That wouldn't be fair to you."

"What happens now?" Damian asked.

"I'll try to let go of the past" Joseph answered. "It'll take a while and it won't be easy, but it'll happen."

"I'll be here if you need me" Damian said with a soft smile, pecking Joseph's cheek before standing. "Come on, let's eat"

"What's for dinner?" Joseph asked as he followed Damian to the dining room.

"Grilled chicken breasts with some steamed veg" Damian answered.

"What's with this health kick?" Joseph asked. "You took me to a salad bar for lunch earlier."

"Well I gotta stay fit" Damian answered with a smile. "I'm looking to date this amazing, gorgeous and incredibly intelligent guy who's way out of my league."

"I don't think you're out of his league" Joseph said with a blush. "You're so selfless, handsome, funny and hardworking. I think the guy you want to date is out of his league."

Damian took Joseph's hand, making the raven look up into his eyes. "He's not."

The two shared a smile before sitting at the dinner table and for the first time in years, Joseph did think it was quite possible for him to get over Draco.

* * *

While Joseph's home in London was enjoying a peaceful night, the west wing of Malfoy Manor was anything but peaceful.

"I can't believe this Draco" Astoria said.

"And I can't believe you're making so much noise when Scorpius has just fallen asleep" Draco returned.

"Ugh, ever since Scorpius was born, all you do is pay attention to him" Astoria said.

"What was your plan? Leave him to be raised by house-elves, and only care about him when we're with friends and family so you can show him off like some kind of trophy?" Draco asked slightly angry.

"For giving birth to him for four hours, I think I deserve a bloody trophy" Astoria returned. "I never wanted kids in the first place, and only agreed to this arranged marriage because my parents threatened to disown me if I refused."

"That doesn't give you the right to treat Scorpius as if he's some inconvenience" Draco said. "Besides, you barely lift a finger to care of him, so I don't see how he's an inconvenience to you."

"We haven't been out since we brought him back from St. Mungo's" Astoria said, ignoring the blonde's previous point. "This is one of the biggest ministry functions of the year, I can't go alone."

"Then go with your sister, friends, or my father if you really need another Malfoy to go with you" Draco said. "I know you barely passed for any of your N.E.W.T. subjects, so I'll say this slowly so you can understand; go shopping, have outings with your friends and sister, and go to as many parties as you want. But don't think that I will do anything and everything you want whenever you want."

Without another word, Astoria left the lounge quickly. Draco sighed, rubbing his face in frustration before leaving the lounge too. He first headed to the nursery to see if Scorp was still asleep, and the young Malfoy was. Seeing his calm face greatly lessened Draco's stress levels.

"I'm sorry you don't have two parents who love you" Draco whispered. "But I promise that I'll love you twice as much and protect you."

Draco stayed watching Scorp for a couple more minutes before leaving. As soon as he did, one of their house-elves appeared.

"Mistress Astoria has left the manor. She's gone to her parents' and did not say when she will return" the house-elf reported.

"Thank you Rodry" Draco said, dismissing the house-elf.

Draco went to his study, heading straight for the liquor cabinet. He poured himself a glass of firewhisky, downing it quickly and pouring himself another glass. He wasn't surprised that Astoria went back to her parents' place. This, sadly, has become like a routine in their side of Malfoy Manor; there would be an event Astoria wants to go to or an activity she wants to do, Draco tells her to do it without him because he wants to watch over Scorp, Astoria gets angry, they argue and if she ticks Draco off too much, like she did tonight, Draco would get angry too and Astoria would leave for her parents' or sister's place. It was nights like this that Draco caught himself thinking how better things would be if she never came back.

Draco sighed, setting his glass down before going through the papers on his desk. He opened one of the drawers to retrieve an ink pot, but found a picture frame that was facing down. The frame was cracked and dusty, but he could see the picture clearly; it was of him and Joseph sitting together at St. Mungo's, Joseph gently cradling and smiling at Scorpius. Draco wondered why it was in the drawer in the first place, and felt ashamed when he remembered; it was a night not unlike this one, where Astoria and Draco had a huge fight. The difference was that night, Draco was still angry when Astoria had left, so he went to his study to drink. When he sat at his desk, he saw the picture and just got angrier, making him shove it into the drawer. The reason why was seeing the picture reminded Draco of when he was with Joseph, all six years. Even though it was hard and they went through so much, being with Joseph made him truly happy. He was one of the reasons that made him keep fighting to stay alive during the war.

But Draco also felt ashamed because every time he saw a picture of his friend, all he could see was the sad and betrayed look he had on his face when Draco told him he was going to marry Astoria. That look still haunts him to this day, and he didn't know how he'd face Joseph if the two of them were alone. Although Scorp was probably the best thing that ever happened to him, one thing was sure; deciding to marry Astoria was the biggest regret of his life.

* * *

 **AN:** **It wouldn't be one of my one of my series if there wasn't even a slight hint of angst. Now I'd like to ask you guys something; I originally asked a couple chapters back what kind of relationship Damian should have with Joseph. Everyone voted for them to get together, one even suggesting an unrequited love situation. I always intended Joseph to be with Draco in the end, but as I continue writing, I like him with Damian just as much. So I'm here to ask you guys; who do you want to see Joseph end up with?**

 **A. Draco**

 **B. Damian**

 **C. Poly relationship with both of them**

 **D. Other (Suggest with your comment)**

 **Anyway, thank you guys for reading and being very patient with the updates. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** **Regarding the poll posted in the last chapter about who Joseph should end up with, things are pretty even between Damian and being in a Poly relationship with Damian and Draco across both of my accounts. For the time being, I will continue writing and see where it will go. I will not fave one pairing over the other, and give them equal "time." After several more chapters, if I still don't like one pairing over the other, I'll ask you guys to help out again.**

 **As for Hedric, more fluff :D**

 **Thank you to everyone who answered the poll and provided their feedback in the last chapter. It is greatly appreciated. Thank you guys again for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Harry had just had breakfast and was currently going through the album from his fourth year in Hogwarts. Cedric left it with him before returning home the night before. He had made sure to only go through the pictures of the memories he had already remembered, afraid that if he went ahead, it would cause something to go wrong. It was half past ten when the door opened and Joseph walked in.

"Morning Harry" he greeted. "How was your night?"

"Great" Harry replied. "But I'm more interested in finding out how your night went. Did you find out what kind of relationship you have with Damian?"

"We're still friends, but we may start dating soon" Joseph said, and explained what had happened.

"That's great. I hope things work out between you guys" Harry said with a smile. "You two deserve a happy ending."

"Thank you. Now let's get back to business" Joseph said. "Can you recall all the memories we've recovered?"

"I do" Harry answered, recounting what had happened. "The last memory I recovered was the first task."

"Seems like you haven't forgotten anything, so it doesn't seem like you'll lose your memories again" Joseph said. "The next major event of that year would be the Yule Ball. Ready?"

"Definitely."

* * *

In the next few weeks after the end of the first task, there had been a celebratory air in Hogwarts. Both the school's champions had completed the first task without being injured too much, Harry and Cedric didn't have to hide their relationship anymore, and there was even a temporary ceasefire between the Gryffindors and Slytherins. While Harry was glad he was able to complete the first task, he thought that his and Cedric's relationship being out in the open was the best thing that happened. Sure there was the playful teasing from their friends and schoolmates, a daily letter from Cedric's father which immediately was thrown into the nearest fireplace by Damian or Cho, and an article about their relationship by Rita Skeeter the day after the first task despite neither of them saying a word to her.

But none of that mattered to Harry because he no longer has to treat his relationship with Cedric as a secret. He could hold Cedric's hand, give him a kiss, sit so close next to him that their legs brushed against each other every time they moved, and Harry could do this nearly whenever he wanted. Harry was so busy daydreaming about everything he and Cedric could do now, he forgot he was in Transfiguration class. When Professor McGonagall finally noticed and started glaring at him, Ron nudged the champion, bringing his thought back down to Earth.

"Now that Mr. Potter has gotten his heads out of the clouds, we will continue" McGonagall said pointedly as she still gave Harry a look of disapproval. "The Yule Ball has been a part of the Triwizard tournament since its inception. It is a night where we will be able to interact with our guests in well-mannered frivolity. Now, as members of the host school, I expect you all to put your best foot forward. Quite literally, I might add, because the Yule Ball is, first and foremost, a dance."

At the announcement, the majority of the boys groaned and majority of the girls started chatting excitedly with each other.

"Silence!" Professor McGonagall called. "The house of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizarding world for the past ten centuries. I will not have a single one of you besmirch that name in a single night by acting like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons."

After giving a few reminders and stern warnings about their conduct, the Head of Gryffindor dismissed her students, asking Harry to stay behind.

"Professor, if this is about me being distracted today, I swear it won't happen again" Harry said.

"You should make promises you can be sure you'll keep, Mr. Potter" Minerva said. "But I that's not what I want to talk to you about. As I said earlier, the Yule Ball has been a part of the Triwizard tournament since the beginning, it's traditions being kept and followed. One of those traditions is the opening of the Yule Ball by the champions and their partners with a dance."

"I have to open the ball? WIth a dance?" Harry asked nervously. "But professor, I don't dance."

"You can and will" Minerva said with finality. "Since you and Mr. Diggory are together, I am assuming he will be your partner for the ball."

At the mention of Cedric being his partner, Harry slightly calmed down. "Yes he will. I mean, if he wants to."

"Well, in the extremely likely scenario that Mr. Diggory will be your partner to the Yule Ball, I suggest you ask him to teach you how to dance" Minerva suggested.

"Cedric knows how to dance?" Harry asked, and wondered how Professor McGonagall knew.

"The Diggorys have always been a part of the political arena, in one way or another" the older Gryffindor explained. "Thus, being well-versed in interacting at a social gathering was a must."

Harry nodded, and was about to thank his Head and leave, when the door to the Transfiguration classroom opened. The two Gryffindors looked to the back of the class to see the sixth-year that had just been talking about.

"I apologise for interrupting, Professor McGonagall" Cedric said when he reached the front and stood closely next to Harry. "I was a little worried since Hermione told me Harry was caught being distracted during class, and he wasn't out yet five minutes after class ended."

"It's quite alright Mr. Diggory" Minerva said as she stood. "I was just telling Harry about his duties for the Yule Ball. I suggest you two head to the Great Hall for dinner."

The two students nodded and was halfway to the back of the classroom when the Deputy Headmistress called for them. "Before I forget, I feel obligated to remind you both that any _intimate_ activities you wish to do with one another be redone in privacy and limited to both of your free time. While I, Professor Sprout or any of the other teachers will not dissuade you from doing such activities, if you are caught in each other's dormitories, there will be consequences."

"Understood professor" Cedric said with a nod, answering for both himself and Harry.

"Also, since you are older, you have a duty to be the more responsible between the two of you Mr. Diggory" Minerva said. "Harry won't have his sexual education classes until next year, and while I don't believe you would, I hope you won't pressure Harry to do things he's not ready for."

"Of course not professor. We will take our leave now" Cedric said, excusing him and Harry before dragging his boyfriend.

"That was nearly as bad as if McGonagall decided to have _the talk_ with us herself instead of waiting for me to have my sex ed classes next year" Harry said when Cedric pulled them into a discreet alcove, his face extremely red with embarrassment.

"Yeah" Cedric said, pulling his boyfriend in for a hug. "Although, makes you wonder what her expression would be if I told her you already had some hands on experience with sexual education. Several, in fact."

"Please don't joke about that. It's bad enough that we've already made out in front of her" Harry said, burying his face into Cedric's chest. "The only thing that would've made it worse is if it was Snape instead of her."

"Alright" Cedric said with a chuckle, patting Harry's back comfortingly. "However, I do have a problem of putting majority of the responsibility on me."

"You heard her. You're the older one in this relationship, and have had the sex ed classes."

"And majority of the times we've done it, you're the one who initiated things."

"And you never complained once."

Cedric smirked, pressing a short kiss on Harry's lips before taking his boyfriend's wrist and leading them towards the Great Hall.

"I'm assuming Professor Sprout told you guys about the Yule Ball too" Harry said.

"Of course. I was thinking of taking this amazing with me" Cedric said with a smile.

"Well, be sure to drop them off at their common room before you head up to Gryffindor Tower" Harry said with a chuckle, hugging Cedric's arm. "You know we'll have to open the ball."

"Professor Sprout may have given me a heads up on that, since we're a couple" Cedric said with a wide smile, pulling Harry into another tight hug. "I'm so happy that we're not keeping this a secret anymore."

"Me neither" Harry hugged back, smiling as widely as Cedric. "How are things with your dad?"

"It's still a shock to him, but hopefully he'll calm down and be able to accept us" Cedric said. "But even if he doesn't, that won't change anything."

Harry nodded and pecked Cedric's cheek. "Let's get going. Ig McGonagall gets to the Great Hall before us, she might think we went to do _intimate_ activities."

Cedric laughed and took Harry's hand, leading them to the Great Hall. The two entered and parted with a kiss, not caring that they were in front of the entire student body or the faculty, and went to sit with their friends.

* * *

"Ugh, does Potter have to rub it in our faces that he's dating the best looking student in the entire school?" Pansy complained.

"I wouldn't say he's the best looking" Daphne said. "Did you see what he wore to the Quidditch World Cup? Clearly his fashion sense needs work."

"We need a different party to weigh in" Pansy said before turning to Joseph. "Joey, what do you think? Would you let Diggory shag you?"

"Firstly, call me Joey again and I'll turn your boyfriend into a flobberworm" Joseph said, looking up from his book to glare at his friend for a second before returning his gaze down. "Secondly, attraction is subjective. What you may be attracted by may not attract other people. But in the general sense, yes Diggory is attractive. As for letting him shag me, I'd need to get to know him better before I could answer that question."

"Maybe Joseph would've said yes if Diggory's hair was a bit darker, his eyes were hazel, and if he was tanned" Blaise said, his smirking face turning into one contorting in pain when Joseph cast a stinging hex on his legs underneath the table.

"What does that mean? Has Joey finally fallen for someone?" Pansy said with a mischievous smile, and catching a certain blonde's attention.

"Alright, where's Kent?" Joseph asked as he pulled his wand out, looking for Pansy's boyfriend.

"Don't you dare" Pansy said.

"To be fair, I did warn you" Joseph returned.

"But this is hardly small news" Daphne stated. "Joseph, we've been at Hogwarts for three years, and we've never heard of you having any romantic interest in anyone."

"And I still don't. Blase was merely describing a _friend_ of his that he wants to introduce to me" Joseph said, casting another stinging hex on Blaise's leg as he hid his wand underneath the table again. "Of course I don't want to meet him since how he became friends with Blaise is questionable since he's not from our house. And I apologise if my personal life has not been giving you and the other girls more things to gossip about. Some people are actually more interested in getting excellent grades and securing a financially stable career rather than finding a romantic partner that they're, statistically, going to break up with before graduation and never see again."

Joseph returned to reading his Potions book and eating his dinner, and his friends let the subject drop. Well, most of his friends let it drop. While ignoring what Astoria was saying, Draco quickly scanned the Hufflepuff table, stopping at the spot Cedric was. The student next to him matched two out of the three traits Blaise described; a darker brown hair colour than Cedric's and a tanned complexion. He'd have to find a way to get close to see his eye colour, but Draco was 90% sure he found the person Blaise was referring to. Whether this person was the new subject of Joseph's affections, or a friend Blaise wanted to introduce the raven, Draco had to check him out.

He suddenly stopped his train of thought. What was he doing? What was he thinking? Joseph wasn't even talking to him about anything other than schoolwork. They had broken up, and yet Draco was acting like some jealous boyfriend.

" _You broke up with him"_ his brain reminded.

As he stood and began walking out the Great Hall, Draco began thinking that he should probably let this go.

"Want to go through over the Charms essay later?" Cedric asked Damian.

"Can't, I'll be back at the common room close to curfew" Damian said. "I was asked to help Professor Sprout tend to the moonflowers tonight."

"How did that happen?" Cedric asked.

"I forgot my Care for Magical Creatures book in the greenhouse, and went back for it when Professor Sprout was there" Damian said, making Cedric laugh. "Anyway, gotta head over there now. See you later."

The two brunettes parted ways after exiting the hall. Draco quickly told Astoria that he had to see Professor Sprout about something before going in the direction of the greenhouses. He discreetly followed Damian, walking slowly and well behind. He thought he was doing pretty well until the Hufflepuff suddenly stopped and turned around.

"So, why have you been following me?" he asked.

"What makes you say I've been following you?" Draco asked back. "I could just be on my way to the greenhouses to ask Professor Sprout something."

"If that was the case then I'd let it slide" Damian said. "But the only people who knew Professor Sprout would be in the greenhouse tonight was me and the other teachers. If you wanted to talk to her about something, you would've gone to her quarters or the faculty room, and then be directed to the greenhouses. Not to mention, I caught you staring at me towards the end of dinner."

" _He certainly acts like Joseph"_ Draco thought. "And why should I tell you what I'm up to?"

"Just wondering what made me catch the attention of Draco Malfoy" Damian said as he slowly walked over to Draco.

Draco thought this was his chance to see the older student's eyes. "So you know who I am. That's a little unfair considering I don't know who you are."

"Damian Clark, sixth-year Hufflepuff, and your family hates me for reasons out of my control"

"You're a muggle-born."

"You could use the term you purebloods have been using for years. Go ahead, say I'm a _mudblood_. Doesn't really bother me."

"Why not?"

"Why should I pay attention to the opinions of people who don't even know me and have already judged me based on the circumstances of my birth?"

"Wouldn't those strangers opinions matter if they were potentially your future employer?"

"They would, but if a person's blood status is more important to them than a person's qualifications, then I wouldn't want to work for them anyway. And I don't understand you purebloods anyway. All your traditions and beliefs could lead to missing out on meeting amazing people who could be amazing friends, reliable colleagues, even the perfect boyfriend."

"What?" Draco asked, his eyes wide.

"Nothing" Damian said with a sigh, stopping a couple of steps away from Draco.

Draco then saw Damian's eyes were hazel, just like Blaise said. He also realised that this was the person Joseph was talking to that made Blaise worry.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're following me?" Damian asked, and Draco said nothing. "Then I'll be leaving now."

"What's your relationship with Joseph?" Draco asked.

"I don't see how that's relevant to you" Damian said.

"It's relevant to me because I'm his friend." Draco returned.

"And Joseph is his own person, he can be friends with as many people as he wants to be" Damian said. "Besides, you two aren't in a relationship. Even if you were, this kind of behaviour raises a huge red flag. Questioning people your partner talks to and asking them the nature of their relationship clearly shows that you don't trust them."

Damian mentioning that he and Joseph weren't in a relationship and that he didn't trust Joseph hurt.

"I completely trust Joseph" Draco said, a slight hint of anger in his voice. "It's other people I don't trust. I simply want to protect my friend from getting hurt."

"Yeah, because you'd never do anything to hurt him" Damian said, making Draco hurt again.

Draco tried to calm and collect himself, and not let his emotions take over. He stared at the brunette, and studied him. When Draco stared at him, he seemed like this extremely friendly, happy-go-lucky guy. Now, he had a different air about him. It even felt slightly hostile.

Clearly Damian knew about him and Joseph, and what had went on between them in the past month. Joseph told Blaise that he talked to Damian at first not because he and Draco broke up. So while Joseph could simply view the Hufflepuff as a friend, Damian could view the raven-haired Slytherin in a different way.

"Do you have feelings for Joseph?" Draco asked, and Damian simply turned and began walking away. "Should I take your silence as a _yes_?"

"Me refusing to answer your question doesn't automatically mean yes. I simply refuse to answer because I value my privacy, and my feelings towards Joseph is not something that I would readily discuss with a stranger" Damian explained. "Much less a person who'd already have a bad opinion of me from knowing only something as insignificant as my blood status. But if you really want to figure out the nature of my and Joseph's relationship, ask him. I mean, he is your friend, right?"

Draco angrily stared at Damian. It was taking all of his willpower to not hex , Damian's eyes were challenging the blonde to go for his wand. As much as Draco wanted inflict as much pain on the Hufflepuff as he did to him by reminding of his failures and shortcomings with regards to his relationship with Joseph, he controlled himself. Damian had two more years of experience with lessons.

After an extremely tense five minutes of staring each other down, Damian turned and began walking away, threatening Draco that he'd hex him if he followed. Draco turned and went the separate way, heading for the dungeons. All he wanted was to figure out the colour of the guy's eyes. He figured it out, but also got a huge annoyance with it. When Draco got to the Slytherin common room, he ignored Astoria and headed straight for his dorm. He knew he was going to be scolded and nagged by Pansy and Daphne tomorrow, but he didn't want to spend majority of the night pretending to listen to Astoria talking about things he didn't care about.

The blonde had a quick shower and changed into his sleepwear before flopping onto his bed. He looked to find Joseph's bed empty, meaning his friend was still at the library. As he lie there, Draco thought that there was one good quality about Damian; that the brunette was protective of Joseph. But as much as Draco respected that, Damian had to be removed from the picture. Not because he could be Joseph's future boyfriend, that _didn't_ bother Draco at all. If any one of their more... _traditional_ parents or housemates found out Joseph was friends with a muggle-born, it could bring Joseph and his family trouble.

* * *

Two weeks after the announcement of the Yule Ball and getting lessons from Cedric, Harry had the basics of ballroom dancing down. The only problem now was that when he thought about dancing in front of everyone, Harry would get really nervous. Cedric thought Harry just needed to practice in front of other people, so he invited Damian and Joseph to their practice today. Unfortunately, Harry still got so nervous that he stiffened so much it looked like Cedric was dancing with mannequin.

"How about we take five for now?" Cedric suggested, and Harry nodded.

"Sorry I'm bad at this" Harry apologised.

"Harry, you're not bad at this" Cedric said. "When you just let go and focus on the moment, you're amazing, and you look like you're having fun. We just need to find a way to keep you from getting nervous."

"Alright" Harry said, turning to their friends. "Sorry you guys wasted your time coming here."

"It's no trouble at all" Damian said. "Ced promised to teach me how to ballroom dance too, and I'm learning what not to do."

"And I'm thankful for a place to hide other than the library. My friends have recently become more insufferable than usual, which was something I didn't think was possible" Joseph said, rolling his eyes. "It's all Blaise's fault."

"Well, while Harry and I figure something out, why don't you let Joseph teach you how to dance, Dames?" Cedric suggested.

"Oh, it's alright. I don't want to be a bother" Damian said, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks.

"It wouldn't be a bother. It'd definitely be more productive than just standing here" Joseph said.

Damian nodded and followed Joseph to the centre of the classroom. Joseph told him the basics, gave him some tips, and began teaching Damian the box step. Five minutes later, the phonograph Cedric borrowed from a friend was playing, and Damian and Joseph were in the middle of dancing.

"Sorry if I'm bad at this" Damian apologised. "I've never actually tried ballroom dancing before."

"Considering that, you're doing well" Joseph said. "You just need to relax more."

"It's kinda hard to relax when this is my first time dancing, and I'm being taught by someone who'll notice every single mistake I make" Damian said, his grip on Joseph's right hand tightening slightly.

"How about we talk about something?" Joseph said. "Keep counting the steps in your head, and just talk about anything."

"Alright. Can you tell me about your parents?" Damian asked. "I'm curious how intelligent two people had to be to have you."

"You make it sound like I was created in a muggle laboratory" Joseph said jokingly. "My father's name is Stephen and my mother's is Alyssa. They were both in Slytherin, father being a year older. They met during father's fifth and mother's fourth year at the Three Broomsticks during a Hogsmeade trip. Father overheard mother discussing her Ancient Runes assignment with her friends. He decided to offer his assistance and mother accepted."

"That's kind of adorable. He helped her with her assignment, and they've been together since."

"You're so naive it's cute. Mother never liked being one-upped in academics. What formed was a rivalry, rather than a relationship. Though, father didn't realise it was a rivalry until the next year. He had even bought mother some jewelry from that shop in Diagon Alley for Christmas the year they met."

"So, when did they get together?"

"Father's seventh year and mother's sixth year. Since father was graduating at the end of the year, they decided to hold a mock NEWT exam. Their friends created tests for the subjects they had in common, and did it on a weekend. In the end, mother had the highest overall score, and father humbly conceded. While they still lock horns occasionally, they challenge and bring out the best in each other."

"Not the usual sweet start, but it's still sweet. Not to mention, it explains a lot about you."

"What about your parents?" Joseph asked.

"My turn, huh?" Damian asked with a smile, but Joseph noticed the slight discomfort in the brunette's eyes.

"You don't have to talk about them if you don't want to" Joseph said, surprising Damian. "You were a little uncomfortable when I mentioned your parents."

"I shouldn't have expected anything less from you" Damian said. "It's alright, I can talk about them. It's only fair."

"You don't have to" Joseph said. "Not everyone have good relationships with their parents."

"Oh, it's not that. We're really close" Damian clarified, taking in a deep breath. "It's just...my father passed away when I was twelve."

"Damian, I'm so sorry to hear that" Joseph said. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but how did he pass?"

"It's alright. He was a member of the British Army" Damian began."Four years ago, there was a string of bombings that happened in London by a radical group called the IRA. My dad was one of those who were killed."

"I'm sorry that you and your family had to go through that."

"It's alright. I mean, it's tragic and still sad, but dad knew what he was getting into when he joined the army. He wanted to protect our country, make it safer for everyone, his family especially."

"He sounds like a great man."

"He was. When he was home, he always told my mum how pretty she was, and played with us no matter how tired he was. He taught us to always work hard and if things didn't go our way, we can be sad or disappointed about it, but we should never dwell on it too much. I think the most important lesson he taught us was that no matter how hard it was or if we were the only ones doing it, we should always stand up for what was right.

"And my mum's just as amazing. She's made so many sacrifices for us, even before dad passed away. Before she got pregnant with me, she was working as a manager in a restaurant. She was saving up to open up her own place. Then she gave all that up when she got pregnant with me so she could properly raise me and my siblings."

"They sound like amazing people, and you're the perfect combination of them both; kind and caring like your mother, and willing to fight for what's right and protective of those close to you like your father. Your dad would be so proud of you."

"Thanks" Damian said with a small smile.

"And I'm proud of you too" Joseph said with a smile of his own. "You've been dancing perfectly for the past five minutes."

Damian let his focus returning to the dancing, and he was moving fluidly along with the music.

"Well, I do have a great teacher" Damian said with a smile as his hazel eyes locked with Joseph's amber ones. "Thanks, and not just with the dancing. Dad's passing is still hard to deal with most of the time. But it was easy to talk about him with you."

"You're welcome, and there's anything you want to talk about, you can always come to me" Joseph said.

The song ended and they moved away from each other. Joseph gave Damian and Harry a few more tips on dancing before excusing himself and leaving.

"What did Joseph tell you to stop being nervous when you were dancing?" Harry asked.

"He told me to keep counting the steps in my head, and just talk about something" Damian replied. "So we talked about our parents."

"How was that?" Cedric asked, slightly concerned.

"It was good. Now I know having a stick up your arse is genetic" Damian said with a chuckle, giving a look to Cedric. "It really was great. Nothing but happy memories."

"Maybe we should try doing that, Ced" Harry suggested. "Dancing while talking about something."

"Alright love. Can you go set up the phonograph?" Cedric asked, turning to Damian when his boyfriend did so. "Are you sure everything's alright? I know your dad can be a sensitive topic."

"It still is and will be for a while, but Joseph made it easy to talk to him" Damian said. "I think it's because unlike most people who hear about my father passing away, he didn't give me that pitying look."

"What about that look you two shared towards the end of your dance?" Cedric asked.

"What look?" Damian asked.

" _The look._ The look you have when you like someone" Cedric answered. "The look you gave... _him._ "

"I didn't even realise I did it" Damian said in surprise, his cheeks beginning to blush.

"I just don't want you to get hurt again" Cedric said, concern in his eyes. "Joseph would never knowingly hurt you, but he still has strong feelings for Draco. I just don't want you pining after someone who's in love with someone else."

"Everything's will be fine Ced" Damian assured the other brunette. "If I didn't realise I was giving _the look_ then it's probably just some minor crush at best. It'll go away soon."

"Just be careful, alright?" Cedric asked.

Damian nodded, thanking his friend for his concern before saying goodbye to Cedric and Harry, leaving to work on his Herbology assignment. Cedric got into position with Harry, made the phonograph start playing with wandless magic, and began leading his boyfriend.

"Is everything alright?" Harry asked as he followed Cedric's lead.

"Yeah, everything is fine" Cedric answered, but Harry didn't believe him.

"Come on Ced, I saw that worried look on your face when you were talking to Dames before he left" Harry said.

"It's personal stuff" Cedric replied. "I promise, it's nothing that big. So don't worry about it."

"I'll always be worried about my friends, no matter how big or small their problems are" Harry said.

"I know, that's the kind of amazing person you are" Cedric said with a smile, and pressed a kiss onto Harry's head. "I promise to tell you what's wrong if Dames needs our help. But he said he can handle things, so let's let him do that."

"Alright" Harry said with a nod.

"Speaking of our friends' problems; how are things between Ron and Hermione?"

"Hermione's still not speaking and angry at Ron, and Ron still has no idea why she's mad. I've tried hinting at the reason, but he still misses the mark by a lot."

"They'll make up, and things will be back to normal soon. On the bright side, you haven't stiffened up like before."

"So instead of worrying about the people watching us dancing, I should just worry about our friends' problems."

"I don't think we should set that plan in stone, but it's a start."

The two of them continued practicing until dinner. Cedric spelled the phonograph to return to the faculty room, and he and Harry headed to the Great Hall hand in hand.

"Two more weeks until the Yule Ball" Harry stated. "I bet you'll look really handsome."

"I don't have to bet. I know you'll look gorgeous because you always do" Cedric with a wide smile. "Since the Ball is still that evening, do you want to exchange gifts in the morning?"

"Sure, but where?" Harry asked. "I wish things were like last year when you had to stay in Gryffindor Tower because of Sirius."

"Too bad your innocent godfather isn't close enough to the castle to cause a panic" Cedric said jokingly. "We could always sneak into each other's dorm. Your invisibility cloak can help with that."

"Should a prefect be encouraging his boyfriend to break the rules?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"You weren't complaining when I helped you get out of Divination early last year."

"You did that because you love me and didn't want me getting depressed from Trelawney constantly predicting my death."

"Well, I do love you."

"I love you too Ced."

The two shared a kiss before heading to their own tables, promising to meet up for more practice after dinner. As Harry ate dinner with his friends, he couldn't help but smile at thinking about the Yule Ball.

" _This is definitely going to be the best Christmas ever."_


End file.
